Members of the Lower House in Rwanda passed the organic law, which established Kiswahili as an official language.
It is the fourth official language of the country after English, French and Kinyarwanda, and initially will be used for administrative purposes.
“Rwanda joined the East African Community (EAC) in 2007 and in the statute that establishes this bloc, Kiswahili is universally used in the region and members are requested to make Kiswahili one of their official languages,” Julienne Uwacu, the Minister for Sports and Culture commented while explaining about the decision.
“Kiswahili as an official language is, on one hand, fulfilling what we are required to do as a member country but, on the other hand, it’s a way to increase the benefits that Rwandans can reap from economic integration.”
