Suspected militants from the al-Shabaab Islamist group killed nine civilians in an attack in northern Kenya early Saturday, local police told dpa.
The attackers stormed two villages in the region of Lamu, near the Somali border, looking for non-Muslims, a high-ranking police officer said on condition of anonymity.
Local media reported that some of the victims had been beheaded with a machete.
An insurgency waged by the group, which is fighting to establish an Islamist state ruled by Sharia law, has spilled over from neighboring Somalia with frequent attacks in Kenya.
Lamu's administrative chief, Joseph Kanyiri, confirmed the latest incident without giving details.
President Uhuru Kenyatta also sought to reassure Kenyans when mentioning the killings in a speech.
"We have had an unfortunate incident this morning that we are currently assessing and addressing," he said.
He was speaking hours after the unexpected death of Kenyan Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery, who had led the fight against al-Shabaab. He was aged 67.
Earlier this week, three police officers were killed in an attack in Pandanguo, also in northern Kenya. The government in Nairobi said the militants were armed with machine guns and rocket launchers.
