The Mazrui Arab clan that governed Mombasa on behalf of the Omani Sultan had grown tired of submitting to Oman. In 1824, they made a desperate and ultimately ruinous decision. They asked the British for a protectorate, offering to come under British protection in exchange for help against the Omanis. The British agreed, briefly. But by 1826 they had withdrawn, leaving the Mazrui to face Omani retribution alone. It was the first time a Kenyan political actor had invited British authority onto the coast. It would not be the last.