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Kenyan leaders blamed al-Shabaab for two attacks targeting a church and a restaurant in the Mombasa area on Saturday (March 31st), condemning the violence and vowing arrests soon.

"We will use all resources available to eliminate this terror group," said Kenyan Internal Security Minister George Saitoti in Mombasa while consoling victims at the Coast General Hospital. "Let Kenyans be alert always. We will not tire of hunting for these people until we finish them. They have ruined their country and now they have come here to ruin Kenya's economy."

One person was killed and 33 wounded in Saturday's attacks. The first attack took place about 6.30 p.m., targeting a gathering of Christians at an open-air prayer meeting in Mtwapa, 10 kilometres northeast of Mombasa. The second attack hit a bar in Mombasa's Tononoka neighbourhood at about 7 p.m.

The blasts come less than a month after another explosive attack at the country's largest and busiest public transport station in Nairobi, in which nine people were killed and 60 injured. The police and Kenyan government also blamed this attack on al-Shabaab.

The minister said the government will protect Kenyans and visitors from al-Shabaab, which he said wants to destabilise Kenya.

Prime Minister Raila Odinga reassured tourists and citizens that the government has beefed up security, adding that people collaborating with the attackers will be arrested.

"Our police have unearthed very crucial evidence, which we cannot share publicly. They are following very good leads as they try to arrest those behind these heinous acts," said Odinga, who also toured the affected areas and visited victims in the hospital.

"Kenya is safe. No one should threaten tourists. They should continue coming to Kenya and the government will protect them," he told the media.

The prime minister's spokesperson, Dennis Onyango, told Sabahi that more security officials have been sent to the coast to strengthen security for the Easter holiday season, as Mombasa is Kenya's main holiday destination.

"The prime minister has ordered the police and other security agents to move with speed and beef up security in all areas on the coast and other parts of the country which could be possible targets for terrorists," he said.

Hours after officials blamed the al-Qaeda-affiliated group for the attacks, al-Shabaab posted a message on its Twitter account warning of more attacks in Kenya as long as the Kenya Defence Forces continue their military operations in Somalia.

Kenya's Operation Linda Nchi has worked to eradicate al-Shabaab from southern Somalia since October, following a series of attacks and kidnappings by al-Shabaab in Kenya's coastal areas. The kidnappings mainly targeted foreign tourists. This month, the Kenyan troops integrated into AMISOM.

"The Kenyan public must be aware that the more Kenyan troops continue to persecute innocent Muslims of Somalia, the less secure Kenyan cities will be; and the more oppression the Muslims of Somalia feel, the more constricted Kenyan life will be," the militant group warned. "Such is the law of retribution. Your security depends on our security. It is a long, protracted war, and Kenyans must neither harbour a reason for optimism nor hope for triumph."

Sheikh Juma Ngao, chair of the Kenya National Muslim Advisory Council, condemned the attacks as unjustified and contrary to the Constitution of Kenya.

"This is an infringement on other people's rights to assembly and worship. It is a cowardly act and must be condemned," he told Sabahi. "The constitution guarantees and protects the rights of everybody and it should be respected. The government should deal firmly and decisively with those behind the attacks regardless of their faith."

On Monday, the Coast General Hospital announced that people injured in the attacks were safe.

"I can confirm that most of the patients, about 20 of them, have been discharged and the remaining ones are out of danger. Even the young boy, whose condition was serious, has been moved out of intensive care unit and will only require an eye expert to operate on one of his eyes," Dr. Maurice Simuyu, the hospitals' regional medical director, told Sabahi.

Coast regional police chief Aggrey Adoli told Sabahi that improvised explosive devices were used in the attacks, and police are trying to establish if another terror group could have been involved in the attacks.

"We are continuing with the investigations and al-Shabaab is among those terror groups we are investigating," he said. "Our initial investigations indicate that what were used in the attacks were improvised explosive devices, but we are still going on to establish exactly what type of devices they were and their possible source."

He also said that security had also been enhanced at key installations, such as the Mombasa-based Kenya Petroleum Refineries, Ltd.