A Muslim cleric died on Saturday evening after his vehicle hit an improvised explosive device (IED) in the Kenyan coastal county of Lamu, near the border with Somalia, police said.

James Ole Serian, a regional security official, said on Sunday that the IED might have been planted by Al-Shabaab militants and that an investigation was underway.

"While approaching Ishakani border, their vehicle ran over IED which exploded killing the Imam, his driver sustained injuries," Serian said, adding that the vehicle was extensively damaged.

Serian said security forces were pursuing Al-Shabaab members who he said had changed tactic of attacks within Lamu East.

He said combined teams of military and police had intensified patrols to deal with the Al-Shabaab Islamist group.

In July, a suspected Al-Shabaab militant was killed while one police officer injured when a group of over 20 heavily armed men attacked the Mangai Rapid Deployment Unit camp in Lamu East.

Source : XINHUA