After al Shabaab gunmen massacred nearly 150 people at a Kenyan university on Thursday, churches in Kenya are turning to armed guards to protect their Easter Sunday congregations

After al Shabaab gunmen massacred nearly 150 people at a Kenyan university on Thursday, churches in Kenya are turning to armed guards to protect their Easter Sunday congregations.

Four masked gunmen from the Somali terrorist group went on a shooting rampage, hunting down students to kill and take hostage during a day-long siege at a university in Garissa, some 200km (120 miles) from the Somali border.

Kenya's Christians, who make up 83 percent of the population of 44 million, have been horrified by survivors' tales.

Militants on Saturday threatened to stage more attacks and turn Kenyan cities "red with blood". Police said they are providing extra security at shopping malls and public buildings in the capital Nairobi and in the eastern coastal region.

Kenyan priests, who have been targeted by Islamists in the past, say they fear Christian churches may bear the brunt of possible fresh attacks on Easter Sunday.

He said Christian churches in the Indian Ocean port city of Mombasa will be hiring armed policemen and private security guards for mass on Easter Sunday.