kata

(Kenya) An administrative region in Kenya, below counties and subcounties, and further divided into sublocations.


chai

Borrowed from Classical Persian چای (čāy)

bor+

(slang, Kenya) tea money, small bribe, petty bribe (likened to the cost, and function, of a cup of tea)


tiara

Borrowed from Arabic طَيَّارَة (ṭayyāra).

kite (lightweight toy carried on the wind and tethered and controlled from the ground by one or more lines)


hongo

bribe, tribute (payment exacted from someone)


polisi

police (an organisation that enforces the law)


spika

spika wa bunge

(politics) speaker (presiding member in a legislative body)


mfalme

king (a male of a royal family who is the supreme ruler of his nation)


rais

Gazeti la Mail on Sunday linaripoti kuwa Sir Kim alimwandikia Bw Johnson akimuelezea kuwa rais Trump kutoka chama cha Republican anavunja mkataba huo kwa sababu za "utashi binafsi" - kwa sababu makubaliano hayo yalifikiwa na mtangulizi wake kutoka chama cha Democrat, Barack Obama.

2019 July 14, “Barua mpya iliyovuja yadai Trump amevunja mkataba wa nyukilia 'ili kumkera Obama'”, in BBC News Swahili:

Mail on Sunday reports that Sir Kim wrote to Mr Johnson explaining that President Trump from the Republican Party was breaking the agreement for "personality reasons" - because the agreement was reached by his predecessor from the Democratic Party, Barack Obama.

president (the head of state of a republic)


serikali

→ Kamba: silikali

→ Kikuyu: thirikari

→ Luhya: eserikali

Borrowed from Omani Arabic سُركار (sörkār), from Persian سرکار (sarkâr).


waziri

From Arabic وَزِير (wazīr, “vizier, minister”).

der

waziri wa afya

waziri wa fedha

waziri wa kilimo

waziri wa nchi

waziri wa nishati na madini

waziri wa uchenzi

minister (person who is commissioned by the government for public service)


malkia

queen (female monarch or wife of a king)


uchaguzi

election (process of choosing a new leader)


dikteta

dictator (totalitarian leader of a dictatorship)


bunge

parliament (elected political institution)


wizara

wizara ya afya

wizara ya elimu

wizara ya fedha

wizara ya habari, mawasiliano na teknolojia ya habari

ministry of information, communication and information technology

wizara ya kilimo

wizara ya maji na umwagliaji

wizara ya nishati

wizara ya nishati na madini

wizara ya sheria

wizara ya sheria na katiba

ministry of justice and constitutional affairs

wizara ya ujenzi


firauni

From Arabic فِرْعَوْن (firʕawn). The sense "bad person" may originate from the Qur'an.

pharaoh (supreme ruler of ancient Egypt)


mwanasiasa

sw-noun

mwanasiasa (m-wa class, plural wanasiasa)


mapinduzi

From -pinduza (“overturn”), from -pinda.


inspekta

inspector (a police officer ranking below superintendent)


forodha

Borrowed from Omani Arabic فرضة (furḍa, “custom house”), from Arabic فُرْضَة (furḍa, “crevice, gap; mouth of a body of water, place where one gets to the water (where also port customs is located)”).

der

customs (department or agency that collects taxes on items entering or leaving a country)


bepari

Borrowed from Hindustani बेपारी (bepārī) / بیپاری (bepārī).


pingu

pingu za maisha

handcuff (one ring of a locking fetter for the hand or one pair)


raia

raia (canonical)
raia (plural)
maraia (plural)

Borrowed from Arabic رَعِيَّة (raʕiyya).


jamhuri

جُمْهُورِيَّة


waziri mkuu

sw-noun

waziri mkuu (ma class, plural mawaziri wakuu)

naibu waziri mkuu


nasaba

Borrowed from Arabic نَسَب (nasab) or a related form.


mkomunisti

mkomunisti (m-wa class, plural wakomunisti)


mwanachama

mwanachama (m-wa class, plural wanachama)

Wengine hawanyamazi / Wajiita wanachama


mbunge

Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament


mzimamoto

mzimamoto (m-wa class, plural wazimamoto)

From m- + zima (“to extinguish”) + moto (“fire”).


kampeni

campaign (a series of operations, especially in an election)


gereza

Etymology tree
Ancient Greek ἐκ (ek)
Ancient Greek καλέω (kaléō)
Ancient Greek -ία (-ía)
Ancient Greek ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía)bor.
Latin ecclēsiaslbor.
Old Galician-Portuguese igreja
Portuguese igrejabor.
Swahili gereza
Borrowed from Portuguese igreja (“church”), from Latin ecclēsia.


mwana-CCM

(politics, Tanzania) A member of Chama Cha Mapinduzi, a political party in Tanzania.


mfungwa

From m- + -fungwa, passive of -funga (“to jail”).


beberu

Suggested to be from Hindi बरबरी (barabrī, “Barbary goat”), although it may simply be imitative.


honga

-honga (canonical)
kuhonga (infinitive)
kuhonga (infinitive)
kutohonga (infinitive negative)
honga (imperative singular)
hongeni (imperative plural)
huhonga (habitual)
positive subject concord + -lihonga (past)
negative subject concord + -kuhonga (negative past)
ninahonga (first-person present singular)
nahonga (first-person present singular)
tunahonga (first-person plural present)
unahonga (present second-person singular)
mnahonga (plural present second-person)
anahonga (class-1 class-2 present singular third-person)
wanahonga (class-1 class-2 plural present third-person)
positive subject concord + -nahonga (present third-person)
sihongi (first-person negative present singular)
hatuhongi (first-person negative plural present)
huhongi (negative present second-person singular)
hamhongi (negative plural present second-person)
hahongi (class-1 class-2 negative present singular third-person)
hawahongi (class-1 class-2 negative plural present third-person)
negative subject concord + -hongi (negative present third-person)
positive subject concord + -tahonga (future)
negative subject concord + -tahonga (future negative)
nihonge (first-person singular subjunctive)
tuhonge (first-person plural subjunctive)
uhonge (second-person singular subjunctive)
mhonge (plural second-person subjunctive)
ahonge (class-1 class-2 singular subjunctive third-person)
wahonge (class-1 class-2 plural subjunctive third-person)
positive subject concord + -honge (subjunctive third-person)
positive subject concord + -sihonge (negative subjunctive)
positive subject concord + -ngehonga (irrealis present)
positive subject concord + -singehonga (irrealis negative present)
positive subject concord + -ngalihonga (irrealis past)
nahonga (first-person gnomic singular)
twahonga (first-person gnomic plural)
wahonga (gnomic second-person singular)
mwahonga (gnomic plural second-person)
ahonga (class-1 class-2 gnomic singular third-person)
wahonga (class-1 class-2 gnomic plural third-person)
wahonga (class-3 class-4 gnomic singular third-person)
yahonga (class-3 class-4 gnomic plural third-person)
lahonga (class-5 class-6 gnomic singular third-person)
yahonga (class-5 class-6 gnomic plural third-person)
chahonga (class-7 class-8 gnomic singular third-person)
vyahonga (class-7 class-8 gnomic plural third-person)
yahonga (class-10 class-9 gnomic singular third-person)
zahonga (class-10 class-9 gnomic plural third-person)
wahonga (class-11 gnomic singular third-person)
kwahonga (class-15 class-17 gnomic singular third-person)
pahonga (class-16 gnomic singular third-person)
mwahonga (class-18 gnomic singular third-person)
positive subject concord + -mehonga (perfect)
positive subject concord + -meshahonga (already-form)
negative subject concord + -jahonga (not-yet-form)
positive subject concord + -kihonga (if-when-form)
positive subject concord + -sipohonga (if-not-form)
positive subject concord + -kahonge (consecutive subjunctive)
-nihonga (first-person indicative object-concord singular)
-tuhonga (first-person indicative object-concord plural)
-kuhonga (indicative object-concord second-person singular)
-wahonga (indicative object-concord plural second-person)
-kuhongeni (indicative object-concord plural second-person)
-wahongeni (indicative object-concord plural second-person)
-mhonga (class-1 class-2 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-wahonga (class-1 class-2 indicative object-concord plural third-person)
-uhonga (class-3 class-4 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-ihonga (class-3 class-4 indicative object-concord plural third-person)
-lihonga (class-5 class-6 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-yahonga (class-5 class-6 indicative object-concord plural third-person)
-kihonga (class-7 class-8 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-vihonga (class-7 class-8 indicative object-concord plural third-person)
-ihonga (class-10 class-9 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-zihonga (class-10 class-9 indicative object-concord plural third-person)
-uhonga (class-11 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-kuhonga (class-15 class-17 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-pahonga (class-16 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-muhonga (class-18 indicative object-concord singular third-person)
-jihonga (indicative object-concord reflexive)
-hongaye (class-1 class-2 object-concord relative singular)
-hongao (class-1 class-2 object-concord plural relative)
-hongao (class-3 class-4 object-concord relative singular)
-hongayo (class-3 class-4 object-concord plural relative)
-hongalo (class-5 class-6 object-concord relative singular)
-hongayo (class-5 class-6 object-concord plural relative)
-hongacho (class-7 class-8 object-concord relative singular)
-hongavyo (class-7 class-8 object-concord plural relative)
-hongayo (class-10 class-9 object-concord relative singular)
-hongazo (class-10 class-9 object-concord plural relative)
-hongao (class-11 object-concord relative singular)
-hongako (class-15 class-17 object-concord relative singular)
-hongapo (class-16 object-concord relative singular)
-hongamo (class-18 object-concord relative singular)
-yehonga (class-1 class-2 object-concord relative singular)
-ohonga (class-1 class-2 object-concord plural relative)
-ohonga (class-3 class-4 object-concord relative singular)
-yohonga (class-3 class-4 object-concord plural relative)
-lohonga (class-5 class-6 object-concord relative singular)
-yohonga (class-5 class-6 object-concord plural relative)
-chohonga (class-7 class-8 object-concord relative singular)
-vyohonga (class-7 class-8 object-concord plural relative)
-yohonga (class-10 class-9 object-concord relative singular)
-zohonga (class-10 class-9 object-concord plural relative)
-ohonga (class-11 object-concord relative singular)
-kohonga (class-15 class-17 object-concord relative singular)
-pohonga (class-16 object-concord relative singular)
-mohonga (class-18 object-concord relative singular)


upinzani

(politics) opposition (party or movement opposed to the government)


mgombea

From m- + -gombea (“to compete, to contest”).

candidate (person running for office in a political contest)


Chadema

From the first syllable of each noun in its full name, Chama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo.

(politics) Party for Democracy and Progress (political party in Tanzania)


ufeministi

From u- (“-ism”) + mfeministi (“feminist”).


kitu kidogo

sw-noun

kitu kidogo (ki-vi class, plural vitu vidogo)

From kitu (“thing”) + kidogo (“little”).


Wanjiku

(Kenya, politics) an ordinary citizen (of any gender) or the general public


mwendesha mashtaka

mwendesha mashtaka (m-wa class, plural waendesha mashtaka)


mwanamfalme

mwanamfalme (m-wa class, plural wanamfalme)


mwakilishi

mwakilishi (m-wa class, plural wawakilishi)

From mw- + -wakilisha (“to represent”) + -i.


ukwepaji wa kodi

Is it tax evasion or tax avoidance (or both)? The former is illegal while the latter isn't


mpiga kura

mpiga kura (m-wa class, plural wapiga kura)


binti mfalme

binti mfalme (ma class, plural mabinti wafalme)


kanuni ya bunge

kanuni ya bunge (n class, plural kanuni za bunge)

standing order (a rule of procedure adopted by a governing body for its own internal use)


mrengo wa kulia

mrengo wa kulia (m-mi class, plural mirengo ya kushoto)


mrengo wa kushoto

mrengo wa kushoto (m-mi class, plural mirengo ya kulia)


serikali ya mseto

serikali ya mseto (n class, plural serikali za mseto)


kata ndogo

From kata (“location”) + ndogo (“small”).

(Kenya) sublocation (administrative region making up part of a location)


kizuizini nyumbani

kizuizini nyumbani (ki-vi class, no plural)


sekta ya umma

sekta ya umma (n class, plural sekta za umma)


mkataba wa amani

mkataba wa amani (m-mi class, plural mikataba ya amani)


mwanamageuzi

mwanamageuzi (m-wa class, plural wanamageuzi)


kansela

Kansela wa Ujerumani

kansela wa chuo kikuu


polisi wa maadili

polisi wa maadili (n class, plural polisi wa maadili)


uwaziri mkuu

From u- + waziri mkuu (“prime minister”).


umakamu wa rais

From u- + makamu wa rais (“vice president”).


mtumishi wa umma

mtumishi wa umma (m-wa class, plural watumishi wa umma)


nchi lindwa

nchi lindwa (n class, plural nchi lindwa)


kiti cha enzi

kiti cha enzi (ki-vi class, plural viti vya enzi)


mwaniaji

From m- + -wania (“to compete, to fight for”) + -ji.


mkuu wa nchi

sw-noun

mkuu wa nchi (m-wa class, plural wakuu wa nchi)


mkuu wa dola

mkuu wa dola (m-wa class, plural wakuu wa dola)


dini rasmi

From dini (“religion”) + rasmi (“official, formal”).


mtoza ushuru

sw-noun

mtoza ushuru (m-wa class, plural watoza ushuru)

2023 December 20, “William Ruto: Rais 'mtoza ushuru' anayezua hasira za Wakenya”, in BBC News Swahili:

William Ruto: President 'tax collector' who arouses the anger of Kenyans


shirika lisilo la kiserikali

shirika lisilo la kiserikali (ma class, plural mashirika yasiyo ya kiserikali)

non-governmental organization
non-governmental organization