Linguistic Human Rights in Africa: Challenges and Prospects for Indigenous Languages in Kenya

Abstract

With reference to Kenya, the paper shows that although linguistic rights have been eloquently articulated in various charters and declarations, their implementation has been problematic. In Africa this has led to an imbalance of status between the former colonial languages and the indigenous ones. This imbalance is evident in the educational systems and in media practice. This state of affairs is attributed to lack of clear-cut democratic language policies, lack of programmes of policy implementation, negative attitudes towards indigenous languages and the complex language situation that obtains in many African countries. It is recommended that a guiding vision and a plan of action for implementing linguistic rights are necessary if linguistic justice is to prevail in Africa.