Wanga Kingdom

Wanga
Kingdom
The Wanga Kingdom is located in Kakamega County, Western Province, Kenya. Kakamega County is shaded red on this map
The Wanga Kingdom is located in Kakamega County, Western Province, Kenya. Kakamega County is shaded red on this map
Tribal Kingdom Kenya
SeatMumias
Government
 • NabongoPeter Mumia II
Time zoneUTC+3 (EAT)

The Wanga kingdom is a Bantu kingdom within Kenya, consisting of the Wanga (Abawanga) tribe of the Luhya people (Abaluyia). At its peak the kingdom covered an expansive area from Jinja in west to Naivasha in the East African Rift.[1] The Wanga kingdom was a significant African empire and the most organized structure of government in pre-colonial Kenya politically, economically, and militarily.[2][3]

In 2016 the Wanga numbered around 700,000, mostly occupying the Kakamega County, Western Province, Kenya.[4] The seat of power is located in Mumias.[4] The Wanga are one of 19 tribes of the Luhya people. 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.[5][6] The current Nabongo is Peter Mumia II.[4]

  1. ^ "Kenya: The Treasure Trove That Is the Wanga Kingdom". allafrica.com. November 11, 2020. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Organised Wanga kingdom aided the British and Arabs". Daily Nation. No. 11 August 2013.
  3. ^ Standard, The (4 December 2008). "King without powers out to reclaim kingdom". The Standard (Kenya).
  4. ^ a b c Owuor, Bethwell; Wycliffe, Wanzala; Martin, Gakuubi; Ndondolo, Shiracko (2016-01-01). "A survey of ethnobotany of the AbaWanga people in Kakamega County, western province of Kenya". Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge. 15: 93–102. Retrieved 20 April 2021.
  5. ^ "Nabongo Mumia: The Story of The Wanga Noble". Google Arts & Culture. Google Arts & Culture.
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference great was invoked but never defined (see the help page).