Mkandarasi anakagua kazi zilizofichwa chini ya usimamizi wa kiufundi.

Anakagua can be broken down as:

• a- = he/she
• -na- = present tense
• kagua = inspect / check

So anakagua means he/she is inspecting or he/she inspects.

In Swahili, the -na- tense marker is very common for present-time actions.

In Swahili, the verb usually already contains the subject and tense information, so you often do not need a separate verb like English is.

For example:

• anakagua = he/she is inspecting

That one word already includes:

• the subject
• the tense
• the main verb

This is very typical of Swahili verbs.

Mkandarasi means contractor. It belongs to the m-/wa- noun class for people.

So:

• mkandarasi = one contractor
• wakandarasi = contractors

Because it refers to a person, the verb agrees with it using the singular human subject marker a-, which is why the sentence has anakagua.

This is about noun class agreement.

Kazi belongs to a noun class where the singular and plural often look the same:

• kazi = work / job
• kazi = works / jobs

When Swahili adds a relative form like zilizo-, it must agree with the noun class of kazi.

So:

• kazi zilizofichwa = work(s) that have been hidden / concealed work(s)

The zi- part matches the noun class of kazi.

Zilizofichwa is a relative form meaning something like which were hidden or that have been concealed.

A helpful breakdown is:

• zi- = agreement with kazi
• -lizo- = relative element, roughly which/that
• fichwa = passive form from ficha (hide → be hidden)

So the whole form describes kazi:

• kazi zilizofichwa = the work(s) that were hidden / concealed work

In construction or engineering contexts, this often refers to work that becomes covered up later, like pipes, reinforcement, or wiring.

Yes. It comes from the verb ficha = hide.

When you add the passive ending, you get:

• ficha = hide
• fichwa = be hidden / be concealed

So zilizofichwa describes work that has been hidden/concealed, not work that is doing the hiding.

Some Swahili nouns have the same form in both singular and plural, and kazi is one of them.

So:

• kazi can mean work
• kazi can also mean works / tasks / jobs

You usually tell from context, or from agreement words around it. In this sentence, zilizofichwa helps show the class agreement, but English may still translate it as either singular or plural depending on context.

Literally, chini ya means under.

But in this sentence it is being used in a more abstract sense:

• chini ya usimamizi = under the supervision

This is a very common Swahili pattern. It can mean:

• physically under something
• under someone’s control
• under supervision
• under authority

So here it does not mean physically underneath supervision; it means the inspection is happening subject to or within technical supervision.

Usimamizi means supervision / management / oversight.

It is related to the verb:

• kusimamia = to supervise / oversee / stand over / manage

So:

• usimamizi is the noun
• kusimamia is the verb

This kind of noun formation is very common in Swahili.

Wa is a connector often translated as of. It links usimamizi with kiufundi.

So:

• usimamizi wa kiufundi = supervision of a technical kind
• in natural English: technical supervision

This is a very common Swahili structure:

• noun + wa
  • descriptive noun/adjectival expression

Even when English would just use an adjective, Swahili often uses a linking structure like this.

Kiufundi means technical or technically, depending on context.

In this sentence, it describes the type of supervision:

• usimamizi wa kiufundi = technical supervision

It comes from the idea of ufundi, which is connected with skill, craft, or technical workmanship. In modern usage, kiufundi is very common for technical.

In normal reading, it most naturally describes the action of inspecting:

• the contractor inspects the concealed work
• and this happens under technical supervision

So it most naturally attaches to anakagua.

However, like in English, context can matter. In practical usage, the phrase usually tells you the conditions under which the inspection is being done.

In Swahili, modifiers usually come after the noun they describe.

So instead of English-style:

• hidden work

Swahili often says:

• kazi zilizofichwa
• literally, work that was hidden

This is a very normal difference between English and Swahili word order.

Yes. In technical or construction contexts, kazi zilizofichwa often refers to concealed works or hidden works—parts of the work that will later be covered and may no longer be visible.

That is often a more natural translation than the more literal hidden work.

So depending on context, a learner might see translations like:

• concealed works
• hidden works
• covered work

The grammar stays the same; only the most natural English wording changes.

Yes, it sounds fairly formal and technical.

Words like:

• mkandarasi
• anakagua
• zilizofichwa
• usimamizi wa kiufundi

fit well in administrative, engineering, or construction-related Swahili. This is not especially casual everyday phrasing; it sounds like something from a report, guideline, or inspection context.