The Uganda National Kiswahili Council Bill, 2024, has encountered significant hurdles as the education ministry and that of gender have both expressed interest in hosting and overseeing the council.

While chairing the Plenary sitting on October 14, 2024, Speaker of Parliament Anita Among asked the two ministries to harmonise their positions on the Bill before it proceeds to its Second Reading.

Leader of the Opposition in Parliament Joel Ssenyonyi raised concerns about the initial presentation of the Bill, noting that it was brought before Parliament without being signed, raising questions about the legitimacy of its sponsorship.

He also highlighted discrepancies regarding which ministry should be responsible for the Kiswahili Council, pointing out that the Attorney General had not clarified the ministry in charge.

Elijah Okupa (Independent, Kasilo County) and Jonathan Ebwalu (Independent, Soroti West Division) raised additional concerns about the rationale behind establishing a council specifically for Kiswahili, compared to other languages taught in schools across Uganda.

Henry Kibalya (NRM, Bugabula County) pointed out that the education ministry should be the one to manage the proposed Kiswahili Council, as the ministry is responsible for language education in Uganda.

He stressed that the ministry is already charged with overseeing all matters related to education, including the teaching of different languages across the country.