The Mijikenda ('Nine Towns') are nine closely related Bantu-speaking peoples of the Kenya coast, each associated with a fortified hilltop kaya. Their languages — Giriama, Digo, Duruma, Rabai, Kauma, Ribe, Kambe, Chonyi, and Jibana — form a dialect cluster that carries distinct vocabularies, tonal patterns, and oral traditions.

Several Mijikenda varieties are UNESCO-listed as endangered. Rabai was the first coastal Kenya language to be written (CMS missionaries, 1840s) yet today has fewer than 10,000 active speakers. Kauma and Ribe are priorities for emergency documentation. The kaya forest traditions and associated sacred chants constitute an irreplaceable corpus of oral heritage.