Makiyayi yana kiwo shanu da awaki a wajen ƙauye.

The herder is herding cows and goats outside the village.

Breakdown of Makiyayi yana kiwo shanu da awaki a wajen ƙauye.

• ne: to be
• da: and
• ƙauye: the village
• makiyayi: the herder

Questions & Answers about Makiyayi yana kiwo shanu da awaki a wajen ƙauye.

What exactly does Makiyayi mean? Is it the same as “shepherd”?

Makiyayi is a general word for a herder / pastoralist – someone who looks after grazing animals such as cows, goats, sheep, etc.
It often gets translated as “herdsman” or “shepherd”, but it is not limited to sheep; in this sentence it covers cows and goats together.
The usual plural is makiyaya = herders.

Is Makiyayi grammatically singular or plural in this sentence?

Here Makiyayi is singular: it refers to one herder.
If you wanted to talk about several herders, you would normally say:

• Makiyaya suna kiwo shanu da awaki a wajen ƙauye.
  The herders are herding cows and goats outside the village.

What does yana mean, and what tense/aspect does yana kiwo express?

Yana is the 3rd person singular masculine form of the progressive/habitual marker (from ya + na).
Yana kiwo usually corresponds to English “he is herding / he is looking after (the animals)”.
Depending on context, it can also sound like a regular activity: “he herds / he does herding (for a living)”.
So the form covers both present continuous and present habitual meanings.

How is yana kiwo built? Is kiwo a verb or a noun here?