Kila chama kinapaswa kueleza ilani yake kwa uwazi wakati wa kampeni.

Because kila means each/every, and in Swahili it is normally followed by a singular noun.

So:

• kila chama = each party / every party

If you wanted a clearly plural idea like all parties, you would say something like:

• vyama vyote = all parties

That is why the sentence uses singular agreement throughout at the start.

Kinapaswa agrees with chama.

Breakdown:

• chama is a class 7 noun
• class 7 singular nouns take the subject prefix ki-
• -na- is the present tense marker
• -paswa means be supposed to / ought to / should

So:

• ki-na-paswa = it should / it is supposed to

Because chama is singular, the verb must also be singular:

• chama kinapaswa = the party should

If it were plural:

• vyama vinapaswa = the parties should

Usually it is closest to:

• should
• ought to
• is supposed to

It expresses obligation or expectation, but it is usually less strong than a direct "must".

So in this sentence, kinapaswa kueleza means something like:

• should explain
• ought to explain
• is supposed to explain

A stronger way to say must would often use lazima.

Because kueleza is the infinitive, meaning to explain / to state / to set out.

After a verb like kinapaswa (should / is supposed to), Swahili commonly uses the infinitive for the action that follows:

• kinapaswa kueleza = should explain

So this works much like English:

• should explain
• is supposed to explain

The ku- here is the normal infinitive marker, like English to in to explain.

Chama can mean several related things, such as:

• party
• association
• organization
• group

But in this sentence, because of words like ilani (manifesto) and kampeni (campaign), it clearly means a political party.

So context tells you which meaning is intended.

This is a very common Swahili grammar question.

In Swahili, the possessive agrees with the thing possessed, not with the owner.

Here:

• ilani = manifesto
• ilani belongs to noun class 9 in the singular
• class 9 uses the possessive pattern ya-
• -ake = his/her/its

So:

• ilani yake = its manifesto / his manifesto / her manifesto, depending on context

In this sentence, because the owner is chama (party), the natural meaning is:

• its manifesto

Why not chake?

Because chake would agree with a class 7 possessed noun, but the possessed noun here is ilani, not chama.

Why not chao?

Because chao would mean their, and the subject here is singular: kila chama = each party / every party.

Literally, kwa uwazi means something like:

• with clarity
• with openness

In natural English, that becomes:

• clearly
• openly
• in a clear manner

This is a common Swahili pattern:

• kwa
  • noun = an adverbial expression

For example:

• kwa haraka = quickly (literally with speed)
• kwa makini = carefully
• kwa uwazi = clearly

So even though English often uses a single adverb, Swahili often uses kwa + noun.

Because kwa uwazi is the more natural adverbial expression here.

• wazi by itself often means open, clear, or plain
• kwa uwazi means clearly / in a clear way

So in this sentence, kwa uwazi is the idiomatic way to express how the party should explain its manifesto.

Literally it means:

• time of campaign

More natural English:

• during the campaign
• during the campaign period
• at campaign time

Breakdown:

• wakati = time / period
• wa = of
• kampeni = campaign

So the whole phrase is an adverbial time expression.

Because the connective -a (of) changes form to agree with the first noun.

Here the first noun is wakati, and its agreement gives:

• wa

So:

• wakati wa kampeni = time of campaign

This is the same general pattern you see in many noun combinations in Swahili, where the of word changes according to noun class.

In form, kampeni often stays the same whether the meaning is singular or plural, because it is a borrowed noun.

In this sentence, wakati wa kampeni most naturally means:

• during the campaign
• during campaign time
• during the campaign period

So the exact number is not the main point here; the phrase refers to the period of political campaigning.

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

So Swahili often leaves that idea to be understood from context.

For example:

• chama can mean a party or the party
• ilani yake can mean its manifesto
• wakati wa kampeni can mean during the campaign

English needs articles, but Swahili usually does not.

A natural version would be:

Vyama vyote vinapaswa kueleza ilani zao kwa uwazi wakati wa kampeni.

Main changes:

• chama → vyama = party → parties
• kila → vyote = every/each → all
• kinapaswa → vinapaswa for plural class 8 agreement
• yake → zao = their, agreeing with plural ilani

So this is a good way to compare singular agreement with plural agreement in Swahili.