Determining Value of Commodities Among The Mbeere community In Pre-Colonial Kenya

Abstract

For trade to flourish there should be acceptable measures of value. How the value of commodities is fixed depended on rules governing trade within the community and their neighbours. This article explores how value of commodities was determined in pre-colonial Mbeere community. It is argued that societal norms and desire for fair play was very crucial in sustaining not only local trade, but also within the region. Trade agreements through ritual of rebirth which brough the traders closuser for mutual benefits. There was no exploitation of man by man, but trade acted as a medium through which communities interacted. The rules governing exchange rates were based societal normals and there penalties for those who attempted to have advantages over their partners.