Hata hivyo, kiasi kinachobishaniwa ni kikubwa.

Hata hivyo is a connector meaning however, nevertheless, or even so. It shows that this sentence contrasts with what came before.

So the sentence is not just stating a fact; it is saying something like: a previous point is true, however this other point is also true.

Compared with lakini (but), hata hivyo often sounds a bit more formal or more like written English however.

The comma separates the introductory connector Hata hivyo from the main clause.

This is similar to English punctuation in a sentence like:

• However, the amount in dispute is large.

In everyday writing, punctuation in Swahili can be somewhat flexible, but this comma is very normal here.

Here kiasi means amount, quantity, or sum.

In this sentence, kiasi behaves like a class 7 noun, which is why the words that agree with it begin with ki-:

• kinachobishaniwa
• kikubwa

That agreement is a key feature of Swahili grammar: words connected to a noun often change form to match its noun class.

This is a relative verb form, and Swahili packs a lot of meaning into one word.

A useful breakdown is:

• ki- = subject agreement for the noun class of kiasi
• -na- = present/ongoing tense
• -cho- = relative marker meaning something like that/which
• -bishaniw- = verb stem meaning be disputed / be argued over
• -a = final vowel

So kinachobishaniwa means roughly:

• that is being disputed
• which is in dispute
• that is being argued over

-cho- is the relative marker that links the verb back to kiasi.

It is the part that gives the sense of that or which:

• kiasi kinachobishaniwa = the amount that is being disputed

The form of the relative marker changes according to noun class. Because kiasi is taking class 7 agreement here, the relative marker is -cho-.

The passive shows that the amount is the thing receiving the action.

So the idea is not:

• the amount is disputing

but rather:

• the amount is being disputed
• people are disputing the amount

That is why a passive-type form is used. In English, this is also more natural: we usually say the amount in dispute or the amount being disputed, not the amount disputing.

Ni is the copula here, meaning is.

It connects the subject to what is being said about it:

• kiasi kinachobishaniwa = the amount being disputed
• ni kikubwa = is large

So the whole structure is:

• [subject] + ni + [predicate]

Very literally:

• The amount being disputed is large.

Because the adjective must agree with the noun class of kiasi.

Since kiasi is taking class 7 agreement here, the adjective -kubwa gets the class 7 prefix ki-:

• kikubwa = large for a class 7 noun

This is the same agreement pattern seen elsewhere in Swahili. The adjective stem is -kubwa, but the full form changes depending on what noun it describes or refers back to.

Yes. Swahili often combines what English would express with several words into a single verb form.

English needs a phrase like:

• that is being disputed

Swahili can express that inside one word:

• kinachobishaniwa

This is very normal in Swahili, and learning to recognize the pieces inside long verb forms is an important skill.

A natural translation would be:

• However, the amount in dispute is large.

Other good renderings are:

• However, the amount being disputed is large.
• Nevertheless, the disputed amount is large.

The most natural English choice often depends on context, but the amount in dispute is large is especially smooth and idiomatic.