Kihatarishi kinaongeza ada ya bima.

Because kihatarishi belongs to the KI-/VI- noun class in Swahili. Verbs have to agree with their subject’s noun class.

So:

• kihatarishi = class 7 singular
• class 7 subject prefix = ki-
• ki-na-ongeza = it is increasing / it increases

If the subject were plural, the agreement would change:

• vihatarishi vinaongeza ada ya bima = risk factors increase the insurance premium

So the ki- in kinaongeza is there to match kihatarishi.

It can be broken down like this:

• ki- = subject marker for a class 7 singular noun
• -na- = present tense marker
• ongeza = increase / add

So:

• ki-na-ongeza
• literally: it + present + increase

This gives the meaning it increases, it is increasing, or sometimes it does increase, depending on context.

It can mean either one.

In Swahili, the -na- tense often covers both:

• simple present: increases
• present progressive: is increasing

So Kihatarishi kinaongeza ada ya bima could be understood as:

• The risk factor increases the insurance premium
• The risk factor is increasing the insurance premium

The exact English translation depends on context.

It is related to both ideas.

The verb kuongeza can mean:

• to add
• to increase
• to make more

In this sentence, increase is the most natural English choice, because ada ya bima is something that can go up in amount.

So here kinaongeza ada ya bima means that it raises or increases the insurance fee/premium.

Here ya links two nouns and means something like:

• of
• for
• sometimes an English noun-noun relationship, depending on context

So:

• ada ya bima = fee of insurance / insurance fee / insurance premium

The form ya is used because ada belongs to the noun class that takes the connector ya.

This structure is very common in Swahili:

• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = the student’s book
• bei ya gari = the price of the car
• ada ya bima = insurance fee/premium

Swahili normally does not use articles like English a, an, and the.

So a noun like kihatarishi can mean:

• a risk factor
• the risk factor

and ada ya bima can mean:

• an insurance premium
• the insurance premium

Context tells you which one is meant.

This is very normal in Swahili, so you should not expect a separate word for the or a in most sentences.

Yes, in this sentence it is quite similar.

The order is:

• Kihatarishi = subject
• kinaongeza = verb
• ada ya bima = object

So it follows a Subject–Verb–Object pattern, just like English:

• The risk factor / increases / the insurance premium

That said, Swahili can sometimes move parts around for emphasis, but this sentence uses a very straightforward basic order.

The ki- is part of the noun itself and shows that it belongs to the KI-/VI- noun class.

This class often includes:

• objects
• tools
• languages
• some abstract or special nouns

For this noun, you should learn kihatarishi as a complete vocabulary item, but it is also helpful to notice the class pattern because it affects agreement:

• kihatarishi kinaongeza = singular
• vihatarishi vinaongeza = plural

So the beginning ki- is important both for vocabulary and for grammar.

The plural of kihatarishi is vihatarishi.

Because the noun class changes from singular class 7 to plural class 8, the verb agreement also changes:

• singular: Kihatarishi kinaongeza ada ya bima
• plural: Vihatarishi vinaongeza ada ya bima

Notice:

• ki- on the verb for singular
• vi- on the verb for plural

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

• kitabu kimeanguka = the book has fallen
• vitabu vimeanguka = the books have fallen

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• Kihatarishi: kee-ha-ta-REE-shee
• kinaongeza: kee-na-ohn-GEH-za
• ada ya bima: AH-da ya BEE-ma

A few helpful points:

• Swahili vowels are usually pronounced clearly:
  • a as in father
  • e as in bed but often a bit cleaner
  • i as in machine
  • o as in told but without a strong glide
  • u as in flute
• Stress is usually on the second-to-last syllable:
  • kihatarishi
  • kinaongeza
  • bima

So the rhythm is fairly regular compared with English.