Ukaguzi wa mita umeanza.

A useful breakdown is:

• ukaguzi — a noun meaning inspection / checking
• wa — the linker meaning of
• mita — meter(s), depending context
• umeanza — has started / has begun

So the structure is:

[noun] + [of-linker] + [noun] + [verb]

That is very common in Swahili.

Because Swahili uses a connecting word based on the class of the first noun, not the second one.

Here, the head noun is ukaguzi, and nouns of this type take the associative linker wa. So:

• ukaguzi wa mita = inspection of meters

This is the same -a possessive/associative pattern that changes shape in different noun classes, such as:

• kitabu cha mwanafunzi = the student’s book
• nyumba ya mwalimu = the teacher’s house
• ukaguzi wa mita = inspection of meters

Because Swahili verbs normally combine several pieces into one word.

umeanza can be divided like this:

• u- = subject marker
• -me- = perfect tense marker
• -anza = verb stem begin/start

So umeanza literally packs together the idea it has begun.

This is very normal in Swahili. Verbs often include:

• who/what is doing the action
• tense/aspect
• the verb root

all in a single word.

It agrees with ukaguzi.

In other words, ukaguzi is the subject of the sentence, and the verb must match it. That is why the verb begins with u-.

So the logic is:

• ukaguzi = the inspection
• umeanza = it has begun

The u- is not a separate word for it; it is built into the verb.

Most naturally, umeanza means has started / has begun.

It usually suggests that the action is already underway.

If you wanted a more direct is starting / is beginning, Swahili often uses unaanza instead:

• Ukaguzi wa mita unaanza = Meter inspection is starting / begins
• Ukaguzi wa mita umeanza = Meter inspection has started / has begun

In real usage, context matters, but umeanza strongly suggests completion of the starting event.

Because Swahili does not have articles like a, an, or the.

So ukaguzi wa mita could be understood as:

• meter inspection
• the inspection of meters
• an inspection of meters

The exact English choice depends on context, not on a special article in Swahili.

It can be hard to tell from the form alone.

Many loanwords in Swahili, including words like mita, often have the same form in singular and plural. So mita may mean:

• a meter
• meters

Context tells you which one is intended.

In this sentence, the translation or situation usually makes it clear whether it means one meter or multiple meters.

Because Swahili usually expresses X of Y as:

X + linker + Y

So:

• ukaguzi wa mita = inspection of meters

English often turns this into a noun-noun compound such as meter inspection, but Swahili normally keeps the fuller of structure.

This word order is very common and worth getting used to.

Yes. It is related to the verb -kagua, which means to inspect / to examine / to check.

That gives you a useful word family:

• kukagua — to inspect
• ukaguzi — inspection
• mkaguzi — inspector

Learning these families helps a lot, because once you know one form, the others become easier to recognize.

Yes. The best English word depends on context.

Ukaguzi often covers ideas like:

• inspection
• checking
• examination
• sometimes review or audit, depending on the situation

So in a utility, technical, or official context, inspection is often the best choice. In a more everyday situation, checking may sound more natural.

Yes.

You can say:

• Ukaguzi wa mita umeanza tayari.

This means The meter inspection has already started.

However, even without tayari, umeanza already suggests that the starting has happened. Tayari just makes that idea more explicit.