The fighting began in Lamu County when around 30 militants attacked a police station in an exchange of gunfire which lasted for hours.

Tuesday's attack came just hours after President Uhuru Kenyatta left the area, having ordered police and the military to use all means possible to “kill and bury al-Shabaab militants terrorizing Kenyans”.

Al-Shabaab has been blamed for the recent Lamu County abduction and shooting of Public Works Principal Secretary Mariam El Maawy, injuring her and killing five others. El Maawy was later freed in a special forces operation.

The region has seen a serious surge in instability recently.

Two weeks ago al-Shabaab militants ambushed a village in Lamu County, beheading nine people. The Somalia-based al-Qaeda affiliate has killed at least 18 innocent civilians in the region in the past two weeks alone.