The Somali "Bantu," in lower Juba along with the sedentary Bantu, found in the Shabelle River Valley, and other probably smaller but still ethnic groups, are classified under one clan grouping of "Minorities." (Mohamed A. Eno)

It’s quite fascinating how the Mijikenda traditions indicate that they were driven southwards to the coast of what is now Kenya at the beginning of the 17th century by the Oromo during a period that appears to have been fraught with wars and migration motivated by population growth and lessening of resources. Also, Local traditions say that the Mijikenda moved down from Shungwaya, a place thought by historians to have been located somewhere near the present village of Burkao or Port Durnford in Somalia. One thing I found very common between the Mijikenda & Some of the Somalis of a Bantu origin-in Somalia especially the shiddle, Makanne, Shabelle, Shambarani and other coastal groups have Shungwaya as part of their oral history for it to be their origin place. At one point dating to the 12th-17th centuries, all Sabaki speakers lived in one place which is believed to be more likely northeastern Africa. Although today a lot of these groups don’t really share anything in common They are different because, according to the settlement, some live along the river Shabelle. At the same time, others are settled along the river Jubba, each of which belongs to its own unique culture. Each of which has its systems of language, belief, ritual practice, & family structure. It may surprise many scholars and ordinary laymen that these communities belong to different distinguishable histories that are neither often discussed by Somali scholars nor acknowledged by the Somali people. Some are believed to have Swahili heritage mainly came from coastal islands in Tanzania, Mozambique for trading, migration reasons & others came from the mainland it’s unfortunate that some fell victim to Indentured labour- While the vast majority of them are indeed Indigenous to very Southern Somalia. They all share unrestricted social interaction among themselves – including intermarriage – regardless of creed, allowing their cultures to communicate as a fountain of fusion. For example among the Somali Bantu logically known as “Jareerweyn;” ie. One thing that’s very interesting about these groups is that there are clans such as the Reer Shabelle, Shiidle, Makanne even some of the Shambarani sub-clans that are intelligibly not of Bantu stock but Cushitic/Nilotic & some sort of mix of those 3 groups.

Within these communities, you can tell and see the diversity in every form; culturally, socially, ethnically, & linguistically. Unfortunately, all these groups have been grouped as a single entity

Reference (H. Neville Chittick; the Book of the Zenj and the Miji Kenda; IJAHS, Vol.9. pp. 68-9).