KAMPALA – In a controversial declaration that has ignited immediate debate, newly nominated presidential candidate Mubarak Munyagwa of the Common Man’s Party has vowed to abolish the use of Swahili in Uganda’s education and public systems, proposing to replace it with French.
The announcement, made during his address to the nation following his official nomination on Tuesday, has left many Ugandans stunned. Munyagwa framed the move as a strategic step towards global integration, arguing that French would offer the country far greater international advantages.
“Uganda’s future lies not in the region, but on the world stage,” Munyagwa stated. “By replacing Swahili with French, we will significantly expand Uganda’s international opportunities and open new doors for our country’s global integration.”
The candidate elaborated on his reasoning, pointing to French as one of the most widely spoken languages across Europe, Africa, and the world. He contended that this linguistic shift would provide Ugandans with better access to international trade, diplomacy, and elite educational opportunities.
“This is about giving our children a passport to the world,” Munyagwa argued. “French is a language of global business, international institutions, and countless academic forums. This is an investment in our nation’s future.”
The proposal is set to be a central and highly contentious pillar of Munyagwa’s campaign. It directly challenges current national policy, which promotes Swahili as a lingua franca to bolster regional integration within the East African Community (EAC), where it is an official language.
Critics are expected to argue that the move would distance Uganda from its East African neighbors like Kenya, Tanzania, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, where Swahili is widely spoken. Furthermore, practical questions about the immense cost and logistical challenge of replacing an established language in public systems with an entirely new one are likely to dominate the political discourse in the coming days.
For now, Munyagwa’s bold pledge has succeeded in setting a distinctive and provocative agenda for his presidential bid, ensuring that language policy will be a key topic of national conversation.
