This article compares the varied rates at which formal schooling was institutionalized among four neighboring groups in colonial Kenya: the Idakho, Isukha, Maragoli, and Tiriki peoples. Their different reactions to the Friends Africa Mission school movement is considered as one factor in the availability of schools to each group. (SJL)

The historical background and the current status of Swahili in Kenya and Tanzania, where it is designated as the national language, and in Uganda, where it has assumed a less prominent role, are described. Major factors contributing to the selection of national languages in the region are presented. The ways both linguistic and sociopolitical…