Panic has again gripped Kenya's capital Nairobi after early morning tremors with a magnitude of 5.2 shook high rise buildings for several minutes.

Experts say the tremors originated from northern Tanzania, where Ol donyo Lengai Mountain erupted last month.

©USGS

The US Geological Survey (USGS) website said the Monday morning tremors were the second in three days.

Kenya and Tanzania lie along a geological fault line, but have escaped major quakes in recent years.

"The tremors could be the result of readjustments following the eruption on the mountain and may last for a while depending on the pressure of the molten rocks," University of Nairobi's Professor Isaac Nyambok told the BBC News website.

Mr Nyambok however said they lacked an elaborate network that would enable the experts to tell whether the tremors may be a sign of a major earthquake.

The early Monday morning earthquake caused buildings to shake gently for several minutes in Nairobi - about 180 km away from the epicentre in northern Tanzania.

In July, a strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 hit northern Tanzania with after shocks reaching the Kenyan capital Nairobi.

The tremors caused panic in Nairobi and led to the evacuation of high rise buildings.