Lyrics
Verse
Kwenye huu mwamba (Upon this rock)
Analijenga kanisa lake (He is building His Church)
Na milango ya kuzimu haitalishinda (And the gates of Hades will not overcome it)[1]
Kwenye huu mwamba (Upon this rock)
Analijenga kanisa lake (He is building His Church)
Na milango ya kuzimu haitalishinda (And the gates of Hades will not overcome it)
Chorus
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Chochote nitakachofunga duniani na binguni kimefungwa (Whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Na chochote nitakachofungua duniani na binguni kimefunguliwa (Whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven)
(Repeat Chorus)
Bridge / Chant
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Leo (Today)
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Funguliwa (Be loosed)
Baraka zako — Funguliwa (Your blessings — Be loosed)
Njia zako — Funguliwa (Your ways — Be loosed)
Funguliwa — Funguliwa (Be loosed — Be loosed)
Acha milango yako ifunguliwe (Let your doors be opened)
Funguliwa — Funguliwa (Be loosed — Be loosed)
Kibali chako — Funguliwa (Your favor — Be loosed)
Funguliwa — Funguliwa (Be loosed — Be loosed)
Chorus (Reprise)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Chochote nitakachofunga duniani na binguni kimefungwa (Whatever I bind on earth will be bound in heaven)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Nina ufunguo (I have the key)
Na chochote nitakachofungua duniani na binguni kimefunguliwa (Whatever I loose on earth will be loosed in heaven)
Video
Meaning & Inspiration
“Nina Ufunguo” draws directly on Jesus’ words about building his church and giving the keys of the kingdom. The opening verse declares that the gates of Hades will not overcome the church, establishing Christ’s authority as the basis for the chorus. Its repeated Swahili confession, “Nina ufunguo,” then turns that biblical image into a statement about binding and loosing, with an English translation placed beside each central line.
The chant develops the theme through repeated calls for doors, favor, paths, and blessings to be opened. Those petitions express confidence and expectation, though the scriptural foundation remains Christ’s promise concerning his church and kingdom. The repetition gives the song a congregational, declarative character rather than a narrative one. By returning to the chorus after the chant, the lyric keeps authority connected to the key image and to the language of earth and heaven found in Matthew’s Gospel.
Related Scripture
- Matthew 16:18-19 Jesus speaks of building his church, the gates of Hades, the keys, and binding and loosing.
- Matthew 18:18 Jesus again uses the language of binding and loosing on earth and in heaven.