The Stairs Expedition to Katanga of 1891−1892 led by Captain William Stairs was the winner in a race between two imperial powers to claim Katanga, a vast mineral-rich territory in Central Africa for colonization, during which a local chief, (Mwenda Msiri) was killed. It is notable for the fact that Stairs, the leader of one side, actually held a commission in the army of the other. This 'scramble for Katanga' was a prime example of the colonial Scramble for Africa, and one of the most dramatic incidents of that period.