Before 1502, the East African city of Mombasa was part of the Kilwa Sultanate. The independent Mombasa sultanate named Mvita (Swahili) or Manbasa (Arabic) was then established but was conquered by the Portuguese Empire during the 16th century. After this control alternated between the Portuguese and the Sultanate of Oman, before the establishment of the British East Africa Protectorate in 1887. Mombasa became part of independent Kenya in 1963.
TenureIncumbentNotesPortuguese Suzerainty1593 to 1596Mateus de Vasconcelos, Captain-Major1596 to 1598António de Andrade, Captain-Major1598 to 1606Rui Soares de Melo, Captain-Major1606 to 1609Gaspar Pereira, Captain-Major1609 to 1610Pedro de Abreu, Captain-Major1610 to 1614Manuel Pereira, Captain-Major1614 to 1620Simão Pereira, Captain-Major1620 to 1625Francisco Pereira, Captain-Major1625 to 1629Marçal de Macedo, Captain-Major1629 to 15 August 1631Pedro de Gambôa, Captain-Major15 August 1631 to 1635Pedro Botelho, Captain-Major1635 to 1638Francisco de Seixas e Cabreira, Captain-Major1st TermPortuguese Colony under Goa1638 to 1639Francisco de Seixas e Cabreira, Captain-Major1st Term1639 to 1642Martim Manuel, Captain-Major1642 to 1643...., Captain-Major1643 to 1646Manuel Coutinho, Captain-Major1646 to 1651António de Meneses, Captain-Major1651 to 1653Francisco de Seixas e Cabreira, Captain-Major2nd Term1653 to 1658..., Captain-Major1658 to 1663José da Silva, Captain-Major1663 to 1667Manuel de Campos, Captain-Major1667 to 1670João Cota, Captain-Major1670 to 1671vacant1671 to 1673João da Costa, Captain-Major1673 to 1676Manuel de Campos, Captain-Major1676 to 1679Francisco Faria, Captain-Major1679 to 16??Manuel Franco, Captain-Major16?? to 1682Pedro Henriques, Captain-Major1682 to 1686João Portugal, Captain-Major1688 to 1693Duarte de Melo, Captain-Major1693 to 1694Pascual Sarmento, Captain-Major1694 to 1696João Leão, Captain-Major1696 to 1697Antonio de Melo, Captain-Major1697 to 1698Dau, príncipe de Faza, Captain-Major1698 to 12 December 1698Leonardo Barbosa Souto-Maior, Captain-MajorOmani SuzeraintyWali (Swahili: Liwali) (Governors)12 December 1698 to December 1698Imam Sa‘if ibn Sultan, WaliDecember 1698 to 12 March 1728Nasr ibn Abdallah al-Mazru‘i, WaliPortuguese SuzeraintyPortuguese Colony under Goa12 March 1728 to 21 September 1729Álvaro Caetano de Melo Castro, Captain-MajorOmani SuzeraintyWali (Swahili: Liwali) (Governors)1729 to 1735..., Wali1735 to 1739Sa‘id al-Hadermi, Wali1739 to 1745Muhammad ibn Uthman al-Mazru‘i, Wali1746‘Ali ibn Uthman al-Mazru‘i, WaliIndependent (disputed with Oman)1746 to 1755Sultan ‘Ali ibn Uthman al-Mazru‘i1755 to 1773Sultan Masud ibn Naisr al-Mazru‘i1773 to 1782Sultan Abdallah ibn Muhammad al-Mazru‘i1782 to 1811Sultan Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Mazru‘i1812 to 1823Sultan ‘Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Mazru‘iOmani Suzerainty1823 to 1826Sultan Sulayman ibn ‘Ali al-Mazru‘i1826 to March 1835Salim ibn Ahmad al-Mazru‘i, WaliMarch 1835 to 1836Nasur ibn Ahmad al-Mazru‘i, Wali1836 to 1837Rashid ibn Salim al-Mazru‘i1837 to 24 June 1837Khamis ibn Rashid al-Mazru‘i1837 to 1860Abdallah ibn Hamish al-Mazru‘i1860 to 1873Mubarrak ibn Rashid al-Mazru‘i1873 to 1 July 1895Rashid ibn Hamish al-Mazru‘iBritish SuzeraintyBritish Protectorate9 February 1824 to 13 February 1824William Fitzwilliam Owen, Governor13 February 1824 to 29 May 1824John James Reitz, Governor29 May 1824 to September 1824vacantSeptember 1824 to 25 July 1826J.B. Emery, GovernorZanzibari Suzerainty24 June 1837Annexed by ZanzibarBritish Suzerainty25 May 1887Administration handed to the British East Africa Association 1 July 1895Kenya protectorate coastal strip nominally under Zanzibari sovereignty12 December 1963Incorporated into independent Kenya
See also Kenya Heads of State of Kenya Heads of Government of Kenya Colonial Heads of Kenya Lists of incumbents
References