Why Teaching Science in Kiswahili Matters: Insights from Dr. Hamisi Babusa

Special Correspondent Okeyo interviews Dr. Hamisi Babusa, a pioneering Kiswahili author and lecturer at Kenyatta University. Dr. Babusa shares the story behind his groundbreaking work in Kiswahili science fiction and his mission to educate children through storytelling.

Dr. Babusa discusses how he introduced Kiswahili science fiction to Kenyan students, despite initial skepticism from publishers. “Some publishers rejected the stories,” he recalls, saying they considered the concept “very strange, very foreign.” However, he persisted, and his books now help children understand scientific concepts in their native language, Kiswahili.

The conversation highlights innovative approaches to teaching, such as Dr. Babusa’s “Makumba” series, where children learn about biology through the adventures of a magic vehicle that shrinks and explores the human body. “The magic vehicle enters the grandmother’s body while she’s eating,” Dr. Babusa explains, giving young readers a fun, imaginative way to learn about digestion.

Dr. Babusa also emphasizes the importance of teaching science in local languages: “Children understand better when taught in their indigenous language,” he says, arguing that teaching in a foreign language, like English, creates barriers to learning.

Looking to the future, Dr. Babusa hopes to inspire the next generation of African scientists, saying, “In the next five to ten years, I hope to see a scientific revolution… the children who are learning science through Kiswahili today will become the inventors and problem solvers of tomorrow.”