Person

Msiri

c. 1830–1891 · 19th century · Also known as Mwenda Msiri

Msiri was a Nyamwezi trader from western Tanzania who founded the Yeke kingdom in Katanga in the second half of the 19th century. Arriving around 1856, he built a state at Bunkeya based on trade in copper, ivory and slaves, at the expense of the Kingdom of Kazembe and the Luba. He was shot dead in December 1891 by a member of a Congo Free State expedition under William Stairs, which then occupied Katanga.

Msiri
Image: CAPELLO & IVENS (H. - R.) · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Mentioned in 2 profiles

Luba EmpireDeclineCongo Free StateMilitary, Summary

Mentioned in 2 state histories

Kingdom of KazembeYeke Kingdom

See also

Cite this entry
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Msiri. In The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/msiri
MLA
“Msiri.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/msiri. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Msiri.” The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/msiri.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Msiri’, The Epoch Institute Encyclopedia. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/encyclopedia/msiri (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random entry ↻