Akiwa amekaa mbele ya kioo, baba hutumia wembe, na Rahma hutumia sega kuchana nywele kabla ya kutumia mkasi.

Akiwa comes from the verb kuwa = to be.

It breaks down like this:

• a- = he/she
• -ki- = a marker often meaning while, when, or sometimes if
• -wa = the verb stem from kuwa

So akiwa literally means something like while he/she is. In this sentence, it introduces a background action: while he is...

Amekaa is the perfect form of kaa = sit / stay. Very often, amekaa means is seated, has sat down, or is sitting as a resulting state.

By contrast, anakaa often means is staying, lives, or sometimes is sitting depending on context, but here amekaa is more natural because it emphasizes the state of already being seated.

So:

• amekaa mbele ya kioo = is seated in front of the mirror
• not just is sitting down as an action in progress

In this sentence, it refers to baba.

Even though baba comes after the subordinate clause, Swahili often does this: it gives the background clause first and then names the person in the main clause.

So the structure is basically:

• While he is seated in front of the mirror, father usually uses a razor...

The a- in akiwa just tells you the subject is he/she, and the following main clause makes it clear that it is baba.

Mbele ya is a set expression meaning in front of.

So:

• mbele ya kioo = in front of the mirror

The ya is part of this relational expression. You should learn mbele ya as a chunk, just like:

• kabla ya = before
• baada ya = after
• karibu na = near

So it is best not to analyze it as if it were a normal adjective phrase. Just treat mbele ya as the standard way to say in front of.

Hu- marks a habitual action: something someone usually, regularly, or typically does.

So:

• baba hutumia wembe = father usually uses a razor
• Rahma hutumia sega = Rahma usually uses a comb

By contrast:

• anatumia usually means is using or uses in a more immediate, non-habitual sense

A useful contrast:

• Baba anatumia wembe sasa = Father is using a razor now
• Baba hutumia wembe = Father usually uses a razor

With the habitual hu- form, Swahili normally does not add the usual subject marker like a-, ni-, u-, and so on.

So you get:

• mimi hutumia
• wewe hutumia
• Rahma hutumia
• baba hutumia

The subject is shown by the noun or pronoun, not by an extra prefix on the verb. That is normal for this tense.

Here it means and.

Swahili na can mean either:

• and
• with
• sometimes even have in certain structures

But in this sentence, it joins two clauses:

• baba hutumia wembe
• na Rahma hutumia sega...

So here it clearly means and.

Kuchana nywele means to comb hair.

After hutumia sega, the infinitive kuchana shows purpose:

• hutumia sega kuchana nywele = uses a comb to comb hair

This is a very common Swahili pattern:

• kutumia X kufanya Y = use X to do Y

So:

• hutumia wembe = uses a razor
• hutumia sega kuchana nywele = uses a comb to comb hair

Because when the same subject uses something for a purpose, Swahili often just uses the infinitive directly.

So:

• hutumia sega kuchana nywele = uses a comb to comb hair

You do not need ili here. The purpose is already clear from the infinitive.

Very roughly:

• direct infinitive after the verb = a simple to do... purpose construction

The most natural reading is that Rahma is the one who will use the scissors.

That is because kabla ya kutumia mkasi is attached to the second clause:

• Rahma hutumia sega kuchana nywele kabla ya kutumia mkasi

So the implied subject of kutumia is the same as the subject of that clause, namely Rahma.

In other words:

• Rahma uses a comb to comb hair before using scissors

Kabla ya means before.

It is another fixed expression, like mbele ya. After kabla ya, Swahili commonly uses:

• a noun, or
• an infinitive verb

Here it is followed by an infinitive:

• kabla ya kutumia mkasi = before using scissors

So the infinitive kutumia acts a bit like an English -ing form after before.

In Swahili, mkasi is normally treated as a singular noun meaning a pair of scissors.

English uses a plural-looking word, but Swahili does not have to match that pattern. So:

• mkasi = scissors / a pair of scissors
• mikasi = pairs of scissors or several scissors

This is just a vocabulary difference between the two languages.

Swahili usually uses nywele, a plural form, for hair.

So even when English says:

• hair

Swahili often says:

• nywele

That is normal. Languages do not always divide things into singular and plural in the same way.

Because in Swahili, possessives are often left out when the meaning is obvious from context.

So:

• kuchana nywele usually just means to comb hair

If the speaker wanted to be very explicit, they could say something like:

• kuchana nywele zake = to comb his/her hair

But in many everyday sentences, Swahili leaves that unstated if it is already clear.

Swahili does not normally use articles like English a, an, and the.

So:

• kioo can mean a mirror or the mirror
• wembe can mean a razor or the razor
• sega can mean a comb or the comb

The exact meaning depends on context, not on a separate article word.