147 confirmed dead in Kenya university attack

At least 147 people, most of whom were students, have been confirmed dead following an assault by al-Shabab militants on a Kenyan university Kenya on Thursday.

Al-Shabab militants stormed Garissa University, killing two security guards before firing at students. Witnesses said that they specifically targeted Christian students.

Four of the gunmen were eventually surrounded in a school dormitory and were killed when their suicide vests detonated. Over 500 students managed to escape and one of the militants was reportedly arrested.

"What I managed to hear from them is 'We came to kill or finally be killed.' That's what they said,” Eric Wekesa, a student at Garissa, told Reuters.

An overnight curfew has been implemented in Garissa and three other Kenyan counties.

The Kenyan government has named al-Shabab official Mohamed Kuno as the mastermind behind the attack. Kuno was a headmaster at an Islamic school in Garissa before quitting in 2007.

Following the attack, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta ordered "urgent steps" to ensure police recruits could begin training immediately.

 "We have suffered unnecessarily due to shortage of security personnel," he said.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned the "terrorist attack".

“The UN is ready to help Kenya prevent and counter terrorism and violent extremism,” he said.

Kenyan troops entered Somalia in October 2011 to prevent al-Shabab from crossing the border between the two countries and kidnapping people. However, their presence has reportedly provoked the Islamist militant group to increase their presence in Kenya, and they were behind the Westgate shopping mall attack that left 67 people dead.