How the Maasai operated their own border control system in East Africa, before the 1884 Berlin Conference

Foreign caravans hunting for ivory, rhinoceroses’ horn, and wild rubber were charged a hefty custom fee in specialized glass beads and ‘Merikani,’ or Amerikani cloth garments by the Maasai elders and warriors.

May 23, 2026 - 09:54

How the Maasai operated their own border control system in East Africa, before the 1884 Berlin Conference

In the 1800s, long before Europeans drew arbitrary lines on maps at the Berlin Conference, the Maasai had their own border control system.

This old Maasai border control set up was just as real as any modern-day international port of entry.

Foreign caravans hunting for ivory, rhinoceroses’ horn, and wild rubber were charged a hefty custom fee in specialized glass beads and ‘Merikani,’ or Amerikani cloth by the Maasai elders and warriors.

Every merchant, great and small, was forced to halt at the frontier checkpoints, such as the place now known as Taveta, to negotiate a strict, sliding-scale custom tariff known as ‘Hongo.’

In modern day Kiswahili language, ‘Hongo’ is the word used to describe bribes or any case of graft and their related kick-backs.

But in the old days, the term ‘Hongo,’ used to be what is known today as ‘custom duty tax.’

Sometimes the ‘Hongo’ was refused and this is something which frequently occurred if the beads were of poor quality or an outdated style and if the travelers looked suspicious or acted hostile.

To which armed Maasai Morans would move into the scene.

On the other hand, if the traders attempted to force entry or bypass the system, without paying their mandatory dues they were immediately attacked by the Morans and their goods were confiscated.

This is seen as unbelievable, but that was the case.

The ancient Maasai Revenue Authority

Even explorers’ caravans faced these hurdles, because the Maasai could not tell if the foreigners were simply passing by for leisure or had hidden motives such as hunting wildlife.

“The system of Hongo, or transit tax, as practiced by the Masai, is in no way different from the customs duties and tolls levied at a Western border entry,” wrote Dr Oskar Baumann one of the first German explorers who ventured into East Africa in the 1890s.

“Just as a European state guards its frontiers and taxes foreign merchandise passing through its territory, so do the Masai enforce a rigorous system of toll gates across the interior,” Baumann explained.

“It brings to mind the robber barons of the Rhine, who from their fortified castles compelled every passing vessel to pay a toll,” the explorer jotted down.

“In the Rift Valley, the spears of the Moran replace the fortress, but the economic principle remains identical … it is a formal recognition of territorial sovereignty, where global trade must submit to a state-sanctioned tariff before it is granted the right of passage,” concludes Dr. Oskar Baumann, in his 1894 writings.