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The Wanga kingdom is a
Bantu Bantu may refer to: *Bantu languages, constitute the largest sub-branch of the Niger–Congo languages *Bantu peoples, over 400 peoples of Africa speaking a Bantu language * Bantu knots, a type of African hairstyle *Black Association for National ...
kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
within
Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...
, consisting of the Wanga (Abawanga) tribe of the
Luhya people The Luhya (also known as ''Abaluyia'' or Luyia) comprise a number of Bantu ethnic groups native to western Kenya. They are divided into 20 culturally and linguistically related tribes. ''Luhya'' refers to both the 20 Luhya clans and their respe ...
(Abaluyia). At its peak the kingdom covered an expansive area from Jinja in west to
Naivasha Naivasha is a large town in Nakuru County, Kenya, lying by road north west of Nairobi. Overview The town has a total population of 198,444 (2019 census). The main industry is agriculture, especially floriculture. Naivasha is also a popular t ...
in the
East African Rift The East African Rift (EAR) or East African Rift System (EARS) is an active continental rift zone in East Africa. The EAR began developing around the onset of the Miocene, 22–25 million years ago. In the past it was considered to be part of a ...
. The Wanga kingdom was a significant African empire and the most organized structure of government in pre-colonial Kenya politically, economically, and militarily. In 2016 the Wanga numbered around 700,000, mostly occupying the
Kakamega County Kakamega County is a county in the former Western Province of Kenya and borders Vihiga County to the South, Siaya County to the West, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties to the North and Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties to the East. Its capital an ...
,
Western Province, Kenya After the 2013 general election, and the coming into effect of the new constitution, provinces became defunct and the country was now divided into 47 counties. Each county has its own government and therefore there is no central regional cap ...
. The
seat of power The seat of government is (as defined by ''Brewer's Politics'') "the building, complex of buildings or the city from which a government exercises its authority". In most countries, the nation’s capital is also seat of its government, thus that ...
is located in
Mumias Mumias is a town in Kakamega County of Kenya. The town has an urban population of 116,358 (2009 census). Mumias was the centre of the Mumias District. The town is linked by road to Kakamega (in east), Busia (west), Bungoma (north), Butere But ...
. The Wanga are one of 19 tribes of the
Luhya people The Luhya (also known as ''Abaluyia'' or Luyia) comprise a number of Bantu ethnic groups native to western Kenya. They are divided into 20 culturally and linguistically related tribes. ''Luhya'' refers to both the 20 Luhya clans and their respe ...
. There are 22 clans that comprise the Wanga tribe. The Wanga retain the Nabongo, as their monarch. The Abashitse clan holds the royal lineage of the Nabongo. The current Nabongo is Peter Mumia II.


Etymology

The name Wanga is eponymous, originating from name of the kingdoms founder,
Nabongo Wanga Nabongo Wanga was the founding father of the today's Wanga subtribe of the Luhya tribe of Kenya. He was born around 1050 A.D. His reign was between 1100 A.D. to his death around 1140 A.D. Birth and early life Nabongo Wanga was born in the year ...
. The name Wanga refers to the people as well as their descent and geographical location. The origin of the title Nabongo is uncertain, however Kenyan Historian, Prof. Gideon Were refers to the pre-Wanga ruler, Muima as "Nabongo Muima" indicating that the title may predate the formation of the Wanga Kingdom.


History


Precolonial history


Origins

The early history of the Wanga Kingdom is unclear, with various conflicting traditions as to their origins. One tradition holds that they are descendants of ancient Egyptians. Their ancestors are said to have migrated, from Egypt to Ethiopia, where they were under the leadership of Simbi and Nangwera before moving to help form the
Buganda Kingdom Buganda is a Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Central Region, including the Ugandan capital Kampala. The 14 m ...
where they were ruled by the Kabaka of Buganda for many generations before relocating to Lela in the present-day Nyanza around the 10th century.


Nabongo Wanga

The kingdom was founded in the
16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th cent ...
by Nabongo Wanga, a descendant of the rulers of the Buganda Kingdom. The Nabongo Wanga initially settled in
Nyanza Province Nyanza Province (; sw, Mkoa wa Nyanza) was one of Kenya's Provinces of Kenya, eight administrative provinces before the formation of the Counties of Kenya, 47 counties under the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 constitution. Six counties were organis ...
before moving the capital to
Mumias Mumias is a town in Kakamega County of Kenya. The town has an urban population of 116,358 (2009 census). Mumias was the centre of the Mumias District. The town is linked by road to Kakamega (in east), Busia (west), Bungoma (north), Butere But ...
, Western Province.


Nabongo Wabala, Nabongo Murono and Nabongo Musui

After the death of Wanga, there was a dispute between his sons over succession. Wabala, Wanga's appointed successor quarreled with his elder brother, Murono over succession rights. Wabala was assassinated in Bukhayo, allegedly at Murono's instigation. Murono was briefly Nabongo before Wabala's son, Musui defeated him in battle. Following his defeat, Murono crossed
Nzoia River The Nzoia River is a Kenyan river, rising from Cherangany hills. It passes through Kapsara, Springer ,Moi's bridge then crosses to Kakamega county.It flows south and then west, eventually flowing into Lake Victoria near the town of Port Victoria. ...
and established a separate centre near present day
Matungu Matungu is a small town in the Western Province of Kenya. It is located in the Kakamega County. The Matungu Constituency carved out of the larger Mumias Constituency in 1997. It was created following complaints by a section of residents of Mumias ...
around 1679-1706.


Nabongo Netya

Nabongo Netya reigned over the Wanga Kingdom c.1760-1787. During this time there were several clans in the Wanga kingdom. They included Murono's clan on the right bank of River Nzoia, Abamuima's clan at Imanga (Between modern day Mumias and Butere) another at
Matungu Matungu is a small town in the Western Province of Kenya. It is located in the Kakamega County. The Matungu Constituency carved out of the larger Mumias Constituency in 1997. It was created following complaints by a section of residents of Mumias ...
and Netya's in Elureko (modern day Mumias). Netya attempted to bring all these centers under his control with varying degrees of success. During the reign of Nabongo Netya, land disputes lead to conflict between the Wanga and their neighbors like the Teso, Bukusu, Jougenya. Nabongo Netya is said to have struck an accord with the Uasin Gishu trading cattle and grazing land in exchange for
Maasai Maasai may refer to: * Maasai people *Maasai language * Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...
military assistance. The death of Netya, c.1787 ushered in a period of increased external conflicts with the Maasai.


Nabongo Osundwa

Nabongo Osundwa made peace with the Massai and consolidated power in Mumias making it the administrative centre of Wanga while Matungu became the Nabongo's primary residence. Following the death of Nabongo Osundwa, a succession dispute arose between Osundwa's sons, Kweyu and Wamukoya, around 1814.


Nabongo Wamukoya

It is claimed that Osundwa's choice of Kweyu as a successor was actively contested by elders because they did not like him. They therefore enthroned Wamukoya in Kweyu's absence, a decision which Kweyu rejected and seceded to Eshimuli with his followers. Here, Kweyu established another center for his new Wanga Mukulu confederacy (upper Wanga).


Nabongo Shiundu

Nabongo Shiundu inherited leadership from his father Nabongo Wamukoya in the 1850s and these are the years in which the Arab-Swahili traders arrived in Buluyia land. At the same, the situation was no better at Eshimuli where Kweyu had paved way for his son, Nabongo Sakwa to rule. Here, Nabongo Sakwa's main enemies included the Abanyala, and Ababukusu with whom the Wanga occasionally clashed over grazing land. Earlier during the reign of Kweyu, Wanga Mukulu had been repulsed from extending her authority over Abanyala and their Abatsotso allies. Thus, Sakwa fled to seek refuge in Kabras from where he was to be bailed by the Abarama.


Nabongo Mumia and the East Africa Protectorate

Nabongo Mumia Shiundu (Nabongo Mumia) was the 17th Nabongo and became king (
paramount chief A paramount chief is the English-language designation for the highest-level political leader in a regional or local polity or country administered politically with a chief-based system. This term is used occasionally in anthropological and arch ...
) of an expansive region of Kenya at the beginning of British imposition of colonial rule in
East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...
. Nabongo Mumia is regarded as the most powerful and well known ruler of the Wanga Kingdom, coming to power during the East Africa Protectorate in the 20th century. Nabongo Mumia Shiundu's rule was heavily influenced by an alliance with Arab/Swahili slave traders and conflict with the neighbouring Luo peoples which escalated after the completion of the Uganda Railway by British colonisers. Arab/Swahili slave traders formed an aliance with Wanga to raid neighboring tribes to be sold into the
Atlantic slave trade The Atlantic slave trade, transatlantic slave trade, or Euro-American slave trade involved the transportation by slave traders of enslaved African people, mainly to the Americas. The slave trade regularly used the triangular trade route and i ...
including the Luo and
Bukusu The Bukusu people ( Bukusu: ''Babukusu'') are one of the seventeen Kenyan tribes of the Luhya Bantu people of East Africa residing mainly in the counties of Bungoma and Trans Nzoia. They are closely related to other Luhya people and the Gisu ...
Constant conflict led Nabongo Mumia to collaborate with the British who made him a paramount chief of an expansive region of East Africa with various chiefs reporting to him such as Chief Chabasinga who managed
Jinja, Uganda Jinja is a city in the Eastern Region of Uganda, located on the North shores of Lake Victoria. Location Jinja is in Jinja District, Busoga sub-region, in the Eastern Region of Uganda. It is approximately , by road, east of Kampala, the capita ...
, Lenan Tenai who managed the
Maasai Maasai may refer to: * Maasai people *Maasai language * Maasai mythology * MAASAI (band) See also * Masai (disambiguation) * Massai Massai (also known as: Masai, Massey, Massi, Mah–sii, Massa, Wasse, Wassil or by the nickname "Big Foot" Mas ...
and chief Odera Akang'o who managed Luo Nyanza.


Colony and Protectorate of Kenya

In 1926, the new
Colony and Protectorate of Kenya The Colony and Protectorate of Kenya, commonly known as British Kenya or British East Africa, was part of the British Empire in Africa. It was established when the former East Africa Protectorate was transformed into a British Crown colony in ...
redefined the Wanga Kingdom's territory to be the equivalent of the modern Western Provence in Kenya today. This act led to the eventual loss of any meaningful political power the Wanga Kingdom had possessed, although Nabongo Mumia remained powerful and influential until his death in 1949. During the colonial period, other tribes in Kenya such as the
Kikuyu people The Kikuyu (also ''Agĩkũyũ/Gĩkũyũ'') are a Bantu ethnic group native to Central Kenya. At a population of 8,148,668 as of 2019, they account for 17.13% of the total population of Kenya, making them Kenya's largest ethnic group. The te ...
, the
Kamba people The Kamba or Akamba (sometimes called Wakamba) people are a Bantu ethnic group who predominantly live in the area of Kenya stretching from Nairobi to Tsavo and north to Embu, in the southern part of the former Eastern Province. This land is ...
, the
Kalenjin people The Kalenjin are a group of tribes designated as Highland Nilotes and are descended from Maliri people ''(thus related to Daasanach of Ethiopia.)'' The Kalenjin are cousins with Datooga people of Tanzania and Malawi. In contrast, their desi ...
under
Koitalel Arap Samoei Koitaleel Arap Samoei (c.1870 - 19 October 1905) was an Orkoiyot who led the Nandi people from 1890 until his death in 1905. The Orkoiyot occupied a sacred and special role within the Nandi and Kipsigis people of Kenya. He held the dual roles ...
, and the
Giriama people The Giriama (also called Giryama) are one of the nine ethnic groups that make up the Mijikenda (which literally translates to "nine towns"). The Mijikenda occupy the coastal strip extending from Lamu in the north to the Kenya/Tanzania border i ...
under
Mekatilili Wa Menza Mnyazi wa Menza, also known as Mekatilili Wa Menza or Mekatilili (1860s-1924) was a Kenyan independence activist who led the Giriama people against the colonial administration of Kenya between 1912 and 1915. Early life Mekatilili was born in the ...
all initially resisted British rule. Due to their resistance to colonial rule the British did not extend comparable influence in colonial Kenya during the Scramble for Africa, the British alliance thus led to the prominence of the Wanga kingdom. The Anglo-Wanga collaboration and trade with Arab/Swahili slavers became profound at a time when most communities of north and central interior of east Africa were not affected by international trade. Other Kenyan tribes did not have any direct dealings with foreigners from the coast, and in most cases many were unwilling to welcome these foreigners into their societies. The prominence of the Wanga kingdom led to rapid territorial and political expansion by the British in the later years of the 20th century in their quest to conquer Kenya. The British, in their later conquest of the region, found the centrally organized political and social structures attractive and supported them in order to get allies in the imposition of colonial rule. In 1926, Nabongo Mumia was forced to retire by the British colonial government, he refused to take a 250 shilling monthly pension he was offered as compensation by the British until the colonial leaders threatened to arrest him. Nabongo Mumia died in 1949 and was succeeded by his son Nabongo Shitawa. Mumias was originally known as Lureko, but was renamed in Nabongo Mumia's honour.


1949 onwards

Today Kakamega District is inhabited predominantly by Wanga people - one of 17 sub-ethnic groups of the Abaluyia of Western Kenya. In recent times Mumias has been dominated by the
sugar cane industry Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...
, with the
Mumias Sugar Company Limited Mumias Sugar Company Limited is a sugar manufacturing company in Kenya, the largest economy in the East African Community. It is the largest sugar manufacturer in Kenya, producing about 250,000 metric tonnes (42%) of the estimated 600,000 metric ...
being the largest sugar manufacturer in Kenya, producing around 42% Kenyas annual sugarcane output. In 2008 the Nabongo Cultural Centre and shrine was opened, preserving cultural traditions and artifacts. The grounds also house a mausoleum containing the graves of previous Wanga kings. The opening was attended by Nabongo Peter Mumia II, Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Deputy Prime Minister Musalia Mudavadi, and ministers
James Orengo James Aggrey Bob Orengo is a Kenyan lawyer, a well known human rights activist and politician who is the current governor for Siaya County. He is also one of the few Kenyan lawyers who have attained the professional grade of Senior counsel in t ...
and
Fred Gumo Early life Fredrick Fidelis Omulo Gumo (born 1945) is the first-born son to the famous businessman Pius Gumo and Martina Gumo. He belongs to the Abanyala people, a sub-tribe of the Abaluhya tribe of the western Kenya. Gumo has largely kept a l ...
.


See also

*
List of rulers of Wanga List of rulers of Wanga Kingdom in Kenya. Though the Wanga kingdom king's list actually starts from the re-known founder Wanga, some researchers date them back to the old Egyptian kings time where they were under the leadership of Makata. They a ...
*
Luhya people The Luhya (also known as ''Abaluyia'' or Luyia) comprise a number of Bantu ethnic groups native to western Kenya. They are divided into 20 culturally and linguistically related tribes. ''Luhya'' refers to both the 20 Luhya clans and their respe ...
* Luhya languages *
Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Districts of Uganda, Central Region, inclu ...
* Kabaka of Buganda


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wanga Kingdom Bantu peoples History of Kenya British Kenya Colonialism Luhya