Languages of Uganda

In Uganda, the most widely spoken language, especially in the capital city Kampala is English, which has been the country's official language since 1962, followed by Luganda. English is used as the medium of instruction in schools — a legacy of the colonial period — and it also serves as the primary language for business and legal affairs. Swahili is the third most spoken language after English and Luganda. Although more prevalent in neighboring Kenya and Tanzania, Swahili is taught in Ugandan schools as an optional subject and is primarily spoken by the military. In 2005, there were discussions about adopting Swahili as a second official language due to its perceived neutrality; however, this proposal has not yet been ratified by the government. Swahili is also spoken in some communities near the borders with South Sudan and Kenya.

Uganda is a multilingual country with over 70 estimated languages in active use. Of the 44 living languages documented, 41 are indigenous and 3 are non-indigenous (English, Swahili, and Nubi). The indigenous languages fall into five major language families: Bantu, Nilotic, Central Sudanic, Kuliak, and Ugandan Sign Language. These further subdivide into and include Luganda, Lusoga, Lumasaba, the Rutara/Runyakitara languages, Gungu, various other Great Lakes Bantu languages of the Greater Luyia, Western Lakes Bantu, and West Nyanza branches, the Teso-Turkana/Ateker languages, the Luo languages, the Kalenjin languages, the Kuliak languages, and various Central Sudanic languages and sub-families. Ugandan Sign Language is not known to be phylogenetically related to any other language. English, Swahili, and Nubi are West Germanic, Northeast Coast Bantu, and Arabic-based creole languages, respectively. The status of Uganda's languages varies: 5 are considered institutional, 27 are developing, 7 are established, 2 are endangered, and 2 are nearly extinct.