Kimweri Mputa Magogo (1914 – 20 September 2000) was the last king of the
Shambaa people
The Shambaa people, also called the Sambaa, Shambala, Sambala or Sambara (''Wasambaa'' in Swahili), are a Bantu ethnic group. Their ancestral home is on the Usambara Mountains of Lushoto District, Bumbuli District. They are native to the valley ...
of the
Usambara Mountains
The Usambara Mountains of northeastern Tanzania in tropical East Africa, comprise the easternmost ranges of the Eastern Arc Mountains. The ranges of approximately long and about half that wide, are situated in the Lushoto District of the Tan ...
in
Tanga Region
Tanga Region (''Mkoa wa Tanga'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the mu ...
of
Tanzania
Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...
. He was the last of the
Kilindi dynasty to be recognized as having authority, which was removed in 1962 after Tanzanian independence.
Background
Kimweri Mputa Magogo belonged to the
Kilindi dynasty founded by
Mbegha
Mbegha was the first "Lion King" (Shambala language: ''Simba Mwene'') of the Shambaa people, modern-day Northeastern Tanzania, who lived during the first half of the 18th century. While his existence is undisputed among historians, his biography i ...
, who united the Shambaa people into one kingdom. The kingdom reached its height in the early 19th century under
Kimweri ye Nyumbai
Kimweri ye Nyumbai (or Shekulwavu) (died 1862) was the King of the Shambaa people of the Usambara Mountains in what is now Tanga Region of Tanzania between around 1815 and 1862. Under his rule the kingdom reached its greatest extent. However, di ...
(died 1862), but by 1840 was already losing control to the better-armed
Zigula people
The Zigula or Zigua (''Wazigua'' in Swahili) are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic people hailing from far northern Pwani Region and western southern Tanga Region. In Tanga Region they are the majority in Handeni District, northern Kilindi District ...
in the plains. The Sambaa yielded to the German colonialists in the 1880s without putted up resistance, although members of the dynasty continued to be nominal rulers.
Life
Kimweri was born in 1914.
He was son of Shebughe Magogo, who had been forced to abdicate, and a descendant of Semboja, the trading chief.
Kimweri Mputa Magogo, or Mputa II, became Lion King in 1947.
Unlike his father he was well-educated, and was the choice of the colonial authorities. His appointment as sub-chief at Vugha, in line to later become paramount chief, was formally announced by D.M. Piggott, the district commissioner, on 23 February 1948.
In the late 1940s and 1950s he tried to form a coalition supporting the government's Usambara erosion control scheme,
bringing together devout Muslims, merchants and wealthy farmers. He was opposed by educated peasants, representing the poorer peasants whose livelihoods were threatened by the scheme. The main rain chiefs quietly supported the peasants.
Kimweri Mputa Magogo wanted to emulate his great ancestor Kimweri ye Nyumbai, who had placed his own men as chiefs in all the locations of Shambaai as he chose. However, Kimweri ye Nyumbai had been able to do so in part because he was backed up by warriors and in part because he owned the main rain charms.
Kimweri Mputa Magogo did not have armed men and it was agreed that he did not control the rain.
The rain charms had been inherited by Kinyashi's sons.
His title and those of other traditional chiefs was abolished by the government in 1962.
He left his traditional seat and went to live at
Mombo.
Kimweri Mputa Magogo died on 20 September 2000.
References
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Magogo, Kimweri Mputa
1914 births
2000 deaths
Tanzanian chiefs
Tanga