Kenyan officials say suspected Takfiri al-Shabab militants from Somalia have beheaded three people and burnt houses in an attack in Kenya.

Lamu County Commissioner Gilbert Kitiyo said gunmen believed to be al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab militants attacked Maleli Village near the town of Witu, media reported on Friday.

Last month, the Somalia-based terror group was accused of beheading nine people in another village in Lamu County and has stepped up attacks in the East African country in recent weeks.

The Takfiri al-Shabab militant group has vowed retribution against Kenya for sending troops across the border to Somalia in 2011 to fight the group.

Al-Shabab has seen its power diminished since the beginning of the Kenyan army operations; however, the militant group continues to carry out terrorist attacks.

The terror group has escalated its attacks in the past months, using homemade explosive devices.

Al-Shabab, which has been an al-Qaeda affiliate since 2012, has been designated as a terrorist organization by many countries.

In neighboring Somalia, the militants have been pushed out of all major urban strongholds and ports but continue to stage attacks on targets in smaller, more remote areas.