Mita ya malipo baada ya matumizi iunganishiwe umeme tena.

Literally, it is payment after use.

• malipo = payment, charges, fees
• baada ya = after
• matumizi = use, usage, consumption

In utility language, this refers to a postpaid arrangement: the service is used first, and paid for afterward.

Ya is the linking word that connects mita with the descriptive phrase that follows it.

So mita ya malipo baada ya matumizi is structurally like meters of payment-after-use. In natural English, we would usually turn that into something smoother, like postpaid meters.

This linking word changes depending on the noun class of the noun before it. Here, ya is the correct connector for mita in this phrase.

Here matumizi means use, usage, or consumption.

Even if English might use a singular word like usage, Swahili often uses nouns whose form does not match English singular/plural habits neatly. In this sentence, matumizi refers to the consumption of electricity or service use in general.

The i- is the agreement marker for mita in this sentence.

A key point for learners is that noun-class agreement in Swahili affects the verb. So the verb has to match the noun it refers to. With a loanword like mita, the agreement pattern may not be obvious just from the spelling, but the verb still has to show the correct concord.

So iunganishiwe is agreeing with mita.

This is a very compact, very Swahili kind of verb form.

It comes from -unganisha, meaning to connect. In iunganishiwe, you have:

• i- = agreement with mita
• unganish- = connect
• -iw- = a passive/applicative combination
• -e = subjunctive/jussive ending

So the whole form gives a meaning like should be connected / should be connected for / let it be connected. In this context, the natural sense is should be reconnected with electricity.

Iunganishwe would more simply mean be connected.

Iunganishiwe adds the applicative idea, which often gives a sense like be connected with, be connected for, or have something connected to/for it. In utility language, this is very natural when talking about getting a service supplied.

So kuunganishiwa umeme is a common kind of expression for having electricity connected.

It is not a plain statement of fact. The ending -e shows the subjunctive/jussive, which is often used in formal instructions, requests, or official wording.

So the tone is more like:

• let ... be reconnected
• should be reconnected
• be reconnected

That is why the sentence sounds administrative or official rather than conversational.

In Swahili, verbs often take complements more directly than English does.

Here umeme is the thing being supplied or connected. English often wants extra words such as to or with, but Swahili can express the idea more compactly through the verb form itself plus the noun umeme.

So this structure is normal: the verb carries a lot of the relationship, and umeme names what is being connected.

Because the verb is in a passive form.

The sentence focuses on what should happen to the meters, not on who performs the action. That is very common in official Swahili, especially in notices, instructions, and bureaucratic language.

English does this too sometimes, as in The meters should be reconnected, where the agent is also left unstated.

Tena means again.

It shows that this is not a first-time connection, but a reconnection. The idea of re- is expressed by tena, not by the verb itself.

So the verb says be connected, and tena adds the meaning again.