In the western highlands near what would become Mumias, a kingdom was taking shape. The Wanga Kingdom, led by rulers called Nabongo, was unlike most Kenyan communities of the time. It had a centralised government, a standing army, a system of tribute collection and control over trade routes. At its peak it governed over 20,000 subjects across Luhya territory. It was the closest thing to a traditional state that Kenya had ever seen, and when the British arrived, the Wanga would make a fateful decision that would change everything.