Christians have suffered increasing persecution at the hand of militant groups. (Courtesy Creative Commons/ Aaron Knox)

The attacks are being blamed on groups linked to an al-Qaeda-linked militant group, the Shabab, which vowed revenge on Kenya for sending forces into Somalia eight months ago. 

At the African Inland Church in Garissa, near the Somalian border, the attackers killed two police officers posted at the church's doors because of several recent attacks in the city. The attackers then turned the officer's high-powered assault rifles on worshippers. Assailants also threw grenades into Garissa's Roman Catholic church near the same time. 

Kenya is a key U.S. ally in fighting terrorism in the area. A U.S. Embassy advisory warned of an imminent attack in Kenya’s southern port city of Mombasa. The U.S. Ambassador to Kenya, J. Scott Gration, resigned last week, after an audit was critical of his performance.

Read more at Reuters.

Follow Neon Tommy's coverage of Kenya.

Reach Executive Producer Dawn Megli here; follow her on Twitter here.