Makerere University's past glory in Kiswahili shines in Dar es Salaam

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OPINION

By Caesar Jjingo (PhD)

Since UNESCO's 2021 recognition of July 7 as Kiswahili International Day, it has gradually become a culture across nations and institutions. As part of the 2025 Kiswahili International Day celebrations, my alma mater, the University of Dar es Salaam, hosted an intertwined event, sponsored by the Safal Group of companies. 

The primary event was the Tuzo ya Safal ya Kiswahili na Fasihi ya Afrika (the 2024 Safal Kiswahili Prize for African Literature). Established in 2014 by Dr. Lilly Attree and Dr. Mukoma wa Ngugi, for the first time, the 2024 prize had a judge from Uganda – Dr. Caesar Jjingo of Makerere University. The other two judges came from Kenya and Tanzania – Prof. Richard Wafula from Kenyatta University and Dr. Salma Hamad from the Open University of Tanzania, respectively.

The other event was the launch of the centenary celebrations of the Institute of Kiswahili Studies of the University of Dar es Salaam.

The institute was established on 1st March 1930, as the Inter-Territorial East African Kiswahili Committee. The committee was created mainly to standardise Kiswahili and establish a conventional dialect for maintaining uniformity in its usage across the then East African region – Uganda, Kenya, Tanganyika, and Zanzibar.

During this particular launch, the Guest of Honour emphasised the critical position Makerere University played towards the development of Kiswahili, mainly in East Africa. This remark was underscored while informing the audience on Tanzania's current mission to re-standardise Kiswahili. It was highlighted that Makerere University should be engaged, as standardisers must also borrow lexicons from other African languages across the continent.

Even in a one-on-one with the Guest of Honour after the event, the issue of Makerere University and its Kiswahili technocrats, such as Prof. Ruth Mukama (now at Kabale University), came up. Well, the above observation on Makerere University reflects Prof. Ireri Mbaabu's (1991 & 2007) book, The History of Standardising Kiswahili, which is largely inaccessible, mainly in Uganda. It should be noted that since its establishment in 1930 and its dissolution in 1964, upon its administrators’ will, the Inter-Territorial East African Kiswahili Committee's headquarters were held on a rational basis in Uganda, Kenya, and Tanganyika.

Thus, from 1952 to 1962, the committee's headquarters were in Makerere University's spaces. During this time, the committee accomplished several milestones. For instance, in 1954, the committee's bulletin was transformed into a journal to publish in-depth research articles. In addition, as a complement to the journal, in 1956, the committee also started to publish Kiswahili reference books. 

Relatedly, in 1959, Makerere University advanced a proposal to establish an institute for Kiswahili research to the committee. The committee approved the proposal on the condition that technocrats, e.g., in linguistics, needed to be involved in its formation.

Although funds had been obtained for the anticipated institute, Mbaabu remained silent on its actual materialisation. However, by that time, the committee had started sending signals towards its dissolution, mainly due to finances.

To reduce operational costs, the committee's office was relocated to the University Hall (famously known as UH, a residence for male students), where its secretary served as a custodian. In addition, the committee's library was entrusted to Makerere University Library.

In contrast, Mbaabu adds that when the committee collapsed in 1964, the newly constituted Institute of Kiswahili Research (now, the Institute of Kiswahili Studies) of the University of Dar es Salaam also inherited hundreds of Kiswahili manuscripts belonging to the committee. 

Indeed, in a conversation with Professor Farouk Topan during the early hours of the 2024 Safal Kiswahili Prize, he whispered that bulk of Kiswahili materials from the committee are in some European universities, which could be potential locations for visiting, as the re-standardisation of Kiswahili commences.

The writer is a lecturer of Kiswahili at Makerere University. caesarjjingo@gmail.com; X handle @cjjingo