Poor showing in Swahili is a disgrace

I am concerned about the performance in Kiswahili in Kenya today. So far, the teaching and evaluation of our national language is wanting.

I have interacted with several primary school learners who cannot write a well-flowing 'insha'. After my research, I have found out that the learners do not understand the basics of grammar.

They will not be able to place nouns where they belong, or to match them, and they will not know when and where to apply a 'kivumishi' or 'kielezi'.

Surprisingly, they use the former before the noun. The teachers encourage them to use advanced vocabulary to impress the examiner.

The danger in this is that the intended message will lost. The learners copy and paste proverbs without minding their meaning in relation to the sentence or composition