CS Malonza leads Kenya in marking World Kiswahili Day in Mombasa

Kenya on Friday joined other Swahili-speaking African countries in marking World Kiswahili Day.

July 7th was designated as the official day to celebrate the language by the United Nations in November 2021.

This year is the second time the day was celebrated with the main event in Mombasa led by Tourism Wildlife and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Penninah Malonza who urged Kenyans to embrace Swahili speaking as the language is one of the fastest growing in the world.

Hundreds of residents in Mombasa participated in a walk to mark the second world Swahili Day with entertainment taking center stage.

The elderly performed cultural dances at Fort Jesus, celebrating the language that is entrenched in their lives.

Coastal delicacies were part of this event, and locals displayed their cooking perfection which is also part of the Swahili culture.

CS Malonza said that the government is in the process of forming a task force to strengthen the language.

“Kiswahili ni lugha inayozungumzwa na watu wengi Africa Mashariki na ina Uwezo wa kukuza mali, utangamano na maendeleo katika eneo hili,”she said.

In Nairobi, the experts rallied the nation to embrace Swahili by using the language in their day-to-day lives.

“Kutambuliwa kwa kiswahili kunaashiria umuhimu wa lugha hii ulimwenguni, Africa na nchini Kenya. Lugha hii imeweza kusambaa kimatumizi  na kuzungumzwa na watu zaidi ya million 200 na kuwa miongoni mwa lugha kumi zinazozungumzwa zaidi ulimwenguni ,” PS Roseline Njogu said.

It is estimated over 200 million people speak the language which is seen as a unifying factor for the African continent.