During their great migration from Shungwaya (believed to be in current South of Somali,) around the 16th Century, the Mijikenda people moved alongside other ethnic communities like the Pokomo and the Taita people but the final settlements of both ethnic groups was in different locations. The Pokomo people made settlements in the current Tana River County along the river Tana, the Taita moved inland towards the Sagala hills in the current Taita Taveta County while the Mijikenda people moved towards the South along the Coastal hilly areas occupying a bigger part of the current Kenya’s Coast in Kilifi, Mombasa and Kwale Counties.  Reasons for their migrations was due to famine and persistent droughts in the North and also due to constant tribal conflicts between them and the Cushitic communities in the North.

Traditionally, the Mijikenda people practiced small scale farming of food crops and livestock keeping, palm wine tapping and fishing for food supply and trade in local market commonly known as (Chete) where butter trade of commodities was done between different communities and people. Currently, Mijikenda people are widely spread along the Coastal Kenya Counties and Tanga Province in the Republic of Tanzania. They are still being identified as one community (The Amidzichenda) but identified further according to their subtribes. The community has embraced some sense of modernity in education, trade and other religions (Christianity and Islamic) but still respect the sanctity of their original traditional rights like the Kayas and also their clannism.