Uganda to spearhead Africa’s Swahili development agenda

KAMPALA - Uganda has moved to cement its position as a key promoter of Kiswahili on the African continent, taking a leading role in efforts to expand the language’s use in education, trade, diplomacy and regional integration.

The development comes amid growing recognition of Kiswahili as Africa’s most widely spoken indigenous language and a unifying tool for the continent’s social and economic transformation.

Ronex Kisembo, the chief executive officer of Afrika Mashariki Fest, said that following recent talks with President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, land had been donated to support the initiative and enable it to take centre stage.

“The Republic of Uganda is going to be the home of the African Union Kiswahili Commission headquarters,” he said.

Kisembo, together with other commissioners from the East African Community bloc, was on May 26, 2026, launching the third edition of Twende Butiama Mashariki. Butiama is the home district of the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere in Tanzania. The launch took place at Four Points by Sheraton Hotel.

Kisembo explained that the East African Kiswahili Commission, headquartered in Zanzibar, has the mandate to promote the use of Kiswahili across East Africa.

He revealed that the African Union Kiswahili headquarters will be situated in Uganda. He added that Uganda remains one of the most attractive investment destinations in Africa and continues to attract prominent investors.

“I have spoken to my colleagues at the Uganda Investment Authority, and they are going to allocate us land with orders from the President. His Excellency the President Museveni, together with his fellow Heads of State, will ably fund the construction of the headquarters of our own intercontinental Kiswahili language commission,” he said.

Patricia Okiria Ochan, the Deputy Inspector General of Government (IGG), said that once the headquarters are established in Kampala, Africa’s dream of unity will come closer to reality.

“The Kiswahili headquarters in Uganda is coming at a time when all African countries are looking to work together,” she said.

Being in the field of fighting corruption, she noted that it would become easier to combat corruption when people and countries share a common language.

Drawing lessons from the late Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, the former president of Tanzania, she said Nyerere fought tirelessly to eliminate corruption in the region.

Nyerere was strongly against corruption because he believed it destroyed justice, equality and national development.

He argued that leaders should serve the people honestly instead of using public office for personal gain. To him, corruption betrayed the trust of citizens and weakened national unity after independence.

In 1967, Nyerere introduced the Arusha Declaration, which included a leadership code aimed at preventing corruption among government and party officials.

The code prohibited leaders from owning rental property for profit, holding shares in private companies, or becoming wealthy through political power.

He wanted leaders to live modestly and focus on serving society rather than accumulating wealth.

Nyerere also led by example through his simple lifestyle and honesty. He avoided luxury and encouraged public servants to work with integrity and discipline.

He frequently warned that bribery, favouritism and misuse of public resources could damage the country’s future. Although corruption was not eliminated during his rule, many people respected him for his commitment to ethical leadership and his efforts to build a government based on fairness and accountability in Tanzania.

Prof. Pacifique Malonga, Kiswahili commissioner for the African Union Academy of Languages (ACALAN), said Africa cannot afford to lag behind.

He insisted that a united continent can create jobs for the ever-growing youth population, which could otherwise become a challenge for many countries if left unaddressed.