Historically, the Kingdom of Wolaita was ruled by more than fifty kings.[1] The rulers used the title Kawo.Legendarily, ~1251 is the year of Welayta's founding. (In traditional oral sources, where the state of Wolayta also existed during the Aksumite empire, or even earlier, with more than 42 dynasties. The Mala and Tigre dynasty are the most recent ones). The following were the rulers of the Wolayta kingdom and province in present-day southern Ethiopia.
| Tenure | Incumbent | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Damot dynasty[3] | Motolomi | ||
| Wolaita Mala dynasty | |||
| Unknown Dates | Unknown rulers | Ended with the Oromo migrations | |
| Tigre dynasty | |||
| c. 1560 | Mikael of Walayta, Kawo | ||
| 16th century | Girma Ketema, Kawo | ||
| 17th century | Gazenja, Kawa (Gazenya) | ||
| 17th century | Addaye Gazayna, Kawa | ||
| 18th century | Kote Adaye, Kawo | ||
| 18th century | Libana Kote, Kawo | ||
| 1707 to 1748 | Sana Tube, Kawo | ||
| ? to 1761 | Tube Libana, Kawo | Died in office | |
| 1761 to 1800 | Ogato Sana, Kawo | ||
| 1800 to 1835 | Amado Ogato, Kawo | ||
| 1835 to 1845 | Damote Amado, Kawo | ||
| 1845 to 1886 | Gobe Damote, Kawo | ||
| 1886 to c.1890 | Gaga Gobe, Kawo | ||
| 1890 to 1896 | Tona Gaga, Kawo | Warlike, the last and greatest king. | |
| Waylata conquered by Menelik II and incorporated into Ethiopia 1894 | |||
| October 1894 to 1900 | Tekle Haymanot, Negus | ||