AKAMBA IN THE LONG DISTANCE TRADE
The Akamba of the Athi river basin inhabited the land that slopes gradually from the Kikuyu highlands to the Nyika Desert near the coast. They were the most active long distance traders in Kenya.
Early in the 19th century they made contacts with Swahili and Arab traders on the coast and this led to a rapid extension of their activities their chiefdoms outlet at the coast were Mombasa, Pangani and the important market centre was Kaya Rabai.
Initially the Akamba were semi-nomadic and expert hunters using bows and poisoned arrows. However, they later took up an active role in the traders was Kivoi who made a great name for himself as a hunter of slaves and organised caravans to Kilimanjaro mountains in Kenya and beyond.
The Akamba monopolised the ivory trade in the Mombasa hinterland. Their hunting parties began to take over transportation part of ivory trade from the Nyika middle men Akamba hunter traders worked as far North as mountain Kenya, westwards to the rift valley and southwards as far as Ufigua
The Akamba also exported their local industrial products over a wide area of East Africa. they were particularly skilled in iron work, using local ore to make arrow heads claims and collars. Their poisoned arrows made from snakes and scorpion kenim mixed with liquids from the bark of a certain tree was generally considered the best by the neighbouring communities such as the Kikuyu.
The Akamba acted as middle men between the coastal traders and other communities to the west especially the Kikuyu to whom they sold coastal goods such as beads, wire and cloth in exchange for live stock and ivory.
The Akamba provided security to the trade caravans crossing the Nyika. The Akamba military system with its reliance on the bow and arrow further enabled them to withstand Masai and Galla raids. In this respect, they guarded and guided trade caravans to the interior and from the coast.
In the later years, the Akamba supplied slaves in the homes and farms as the Akamba had to travel further and further in search of elephants, they also took to a serious slave raiding. As a result, this led to warfare with neighbouring tribes such as the Kikuyu, Pokomo and Masai.
The Akamba trading activities covered a large area by the end of the century. The merchants pushed Northwards beyond Mount Kenya into Samburu county and southwards as far as Uzaramo in eastern Tanzania. Hence outside which supplied passing Akamba caravans with food and trade goods.
However by 1970, the Akamba dominance in the trade began to decline because the Zanzibaris directly obtained ivory from the interior. Sold iron products to the Masai and Kikuyu. The Masai civil wars weakened their political power and this encouraged the Arab Swahili traders to move from Mt. Kilimanjaro to mount Kenya.
But even so, the Akamba were important in the commercial life of East Africa until the British colonisation of Kenya after 1895.
Large caravans of 200-300 men were after seen entering market centres of Rabai carrying ivory, Rhinoceros horn, tobacco, honey, wax and occasionally slaves.
We are examining the topic are the following sub topics.
Factors that led to the growth ofthe long distance trade
Problems faced by the long distance traders
Role of the Baganda in Long Distance Trade
The Yao in the long distance trade
The Impact of long distance treade
Reasons for the collapse of Long Distance Trade
Why did the Arabs had little interest in the interior of East Africa up 1840?