Ester Barinaga

The chapter explores the communal economics of Kenyan table-banks—grassroots savings and loan groups known as chamas—as an alternative financial model rooted in collective effort and mutual support. Through ethnographic insights from rural and urban Kenya, the chapter examines how table-banks transform savings, credit, and interest from individual transactions into a shared commons. Unlike Western banking systems, where interest compensates lenders for risk, table-banks reframe interest as a contribution by borrowers to the community’s financial pool, redistributed as dividends exclusively to those who took loans. This practice embodies the Swahili principle of Harambee ("all pull together"), emphasizing collective resilience and equitable resource distribution. By integrating indigenous communal logic with Western record-keeping, table-banks offer a hybrid model that balances accountability with inclusivity, providing vital financial access to marginalized groups. The chapter concludes by reflecting on how "two-eyed seeing"—bridging Indigenous and Western knowledge—can inspire more equitable and resilient financial systems globally.