Kiota hicho kiko pembeni ya banda, mbali na mbwa.

In normal Swahili word order, the noun usually comes first and words that describe or point to it come after it. So demonstratives normally follow the noun:

kiota hicho = that nest

This is different from English, where that comes before the noun.

Kiota belongs to noun class 7, which often includes nouns beginning with ki- in the singular. The demonstrative has to agree with that noun class, so you get hicho.

So the pair is:

kiota hicho

not:

kiota huyo or kiota hii

A learner-friendly way to think about it is:

• kiota = class 7 singular
• class 7 demonstrative here = hicho

Because this sentence is talking about location.

In Swahili, ni is often used for identification or equivalence:

• Huyu ni mwalimu = this is a teacher

But for saying where something is located, Swahili commonly uses a locative form like kiko.

So:

• Kiota hicho kiko... = that nest is located...
• not usually Kiota hicho ni... for physical location

Here kiko means something like is there / is located.

Kiko contains agreement with the noun kiota.

You can think of it as:

• ki- = the subject marker agreeing with kiota
• -ko = a locative element meaning something like is at / is there

So kiko means it is located, with it referring to a class 7 noun.

This agreement is important in Swahili. Since kiota is class 7 singular, the sentence uses class 7 agreement in kiko.

Pembeni ya is a very common expression meaning:

• beside
• at the side of
• next to

So:

pembeni ya banda = beside the shed/enclosure/kennel

The ya is a connective that links pembeni to the following noun. In practice, it is best learned as part of the whole phrase:

pembeni ya + noun

For example:

• pembeni ya nyumba = beside the house
• pembeni ya mti = beside the tree

Banda can have several related meanings depending on context, such as:

• shed
• hut
• enclosure
• pen
• kennel
• stall

So the exact English word depends on the situation being described. If the meaning has already been given to the learner, then that context tells you which English option fits best.

Yes—here na does not mean and.

The expression mbali na means:

• far from
• away from

So:

mbali na mbwa = far from the dog / far from the dogs

This is another phrase that is easiest to learn as a unit:

mbali na + noun

Examples:

• mbali na shule = far from the school
• mbali na barabara = far from the road

The form mbwa can be singular or plural. That is normal in Swahili for some nouns.

So mbwa can mean:

• dog
• dogs

Usually the context tells you which meaning is intended. If the learner has already been shown the sentence meaning, that translation will tell them whether it is singular or plural in this case.

The clearest agreement is with kiota.

• kiota = class 7 singular noun
• hicho = class 7 demonstrative
• kiko = class 7 subject agreement in a locative form

So these three pieces match each other:

kiota hicho kiko

This is a very important Swahili pattern: words connected to the noun often have to agree with its noun class.

The sentence gives two location-related descriptions:

• pembeni ya banda
• mbali na mbwa

The comma simply separates those two pieces of information and makes the sentence easier to read. In speech, you would usually just pause slightly.

The order could sometimes be changed without making the sentence ungrammatical, but the given order sounds natural: first it says what the nest is beside, then it adds what it is far from.

So the original version is a very normal way to say it.