Tukimaliza chakula, weka kiporo cha wali kwenye jokofu.

It has three parts:

• tu- = we
• -ki- = a marker that often means if, when, or while
• maliza = finish / complete

So tukimaliza means something like if/when we finish.

In this sentence, the most natural meaning is when we finish.

It can mean either, depending on context.

With -ki-, Swahili often leaves it a bit open between:

• if we finish
• when we finish
• sometimes even while we are finishing

In this sentence, because it is followed by an instruction, English usually translates it as when we finish the meal, put the leftover rice in the fridge.

So the grammar allows some flexibility, but the situation makes when the best choice.

Yes, chakula means food, but it can also mean a meal, depending on context.

So kumaliza chakula can mean:

• finish the food
• finish the meal
• finish eating

This is very natural Swahili. English often has to choose one wording, but Swahili is comfortable leaving it broader.

Weka is the singular imperative of kuweka = to put / place.

So weka means put!

Swahili often gives commands with just the verb stem in this way. No subject pronoun is needed, because the imperative already implies you.

This sentence is therefore addressed to one person.

If you were speaking to more than one person, you would normally say:

• wekeni = put! (plural)

Kiporo means leftover food, especially food kept to be eaten later.

So it is not just random scraps or waste. It usually suggests food that is still good and is being saved.

In this sentence:

• kiporo cha wali = leftover rice

A rough literal sense is a leftover portion of rice.

Because cha must agree with kiporo, not with wali.

This is a very common point for learners. In Swahili, the connector meaning of changes according to the noun class of the first noun.

Here:

• kiporo is a ki-/vi- class noun
• the of-connector for that class is cha

So:

• kiporo cha wali = leftover of rice / leftover rice

The agreement is with the head noun kiporo, which is why cha is correct.

Not exactly.

• wali usually means cooked rice
• mchele usually means uncooked rice or rice as a grain/crop

So kiporo cha wali specifically means leftover cooked rice.

That is why wali is the right word here, since you put leftover cooked rice in the fridge, not uncooked rice.

Kwenye is a locative word that can mean:

• in
• on
• at
• sometimes to

The exact English translation depends on the noun that follows.

Here, with jokofu (fridge / refrigerator), kwenye jokofu is best translated as:

• in the fridge

So although kwenye is broader than English in, that is the natural meaning here.

Yes.

• kwenye jokofu = natural, common, general way to say in the fridge
• ndani ya jokofu = more explicitly inside the fridge

Both are correct.
Kwenye is often preferred in everyday speech because it is shorter and very natural.

Yes, jokofu is a standard Swahili word for refrigerator / fridge.

You may also hear:

• friji

That is very common in everyday speech and is borrowed from English.

So both are useful:

• jokofu = standard/formal Swahili
• friji = very common conversational word

The comma separates the first clause from the main command:

• Tukimaliza chakula = When we finish the meal
• weka kiporo cha wali kwenye jokofu = put the leftover rice in the fridge

So the comma helps show that the first part sets the time or condition, and the second part gives the instruction.

In speech, you would usually make a small pause there too.

Yes. A few natural alternatives are:

• Baada ya kumaliza chakula, weka kiporo cha wali kwenye jokofu.
  = After finishing the meal, put the leftover rice in the fridge.

• Tukisha maliza chakula, weka kiporo cha wali kwenye jokofu.
  = Once we’ve finished the meal, put the leftover rice in the fridge.

• Baada ya kula, weka kiporo cha wali kwenye jokofu.
  = After eating, put the leftover rice in the fridge.

Your original sentence is perfectly natural. These alternatives just shift the nuance slightly:

• tukimaliza = when/if we finish
• tukisha maliza = once we have finished
• baada ya... = after...