One of the three al Shabaab gunmen who were killed after a failed attempt to destroy a communication mast in Wajir worked at a local garage as a mechanic.
Security agencies said the man had been at the garage for nearly six months before he vanished last year.
A senior security official aware of the developments said the man was not a Kenyan and came from the neighbouring Hawa area in Mandera.
“He is a Marehani from Belad Hawa and we understand he had worked at a garage for some time before vanishing,” the official who asked not to be named said.
The suspect’s body was discovered buried in a shallow and fresh grave a few kilometres away from Afaat centre in Wajir where a gang tried to destroy a communication mast.
Security officials believe those behind his burial were in hurry to escape and conceal his past activities in Kenya.
His body was taken to a local mortuary for fingerprint analysis to establish if he had been involved in any other crimes in the area.
It is believed he was in the Wajir garage for a mission.
A group of al Shabaab militants targeted the Afaat centre communication mast in Tarbaj constituency before police were alerted.
Multi-agency teams were dispatched to the area to pursue the attackers.
Authorities said two Kenya police reservist were killed and two others injured in the clash that happened at about 4 am on May 12.
Three of the militants were killed in the counter operations by the Kenyan security officials.
Police said they recovered two AK47 rifles with 10 magazines from the group.
Earlier on May 10, a team of security officials countered an ambush conducted by the militants in Lamu near the Kenya-Somalia border and killed two of the attackers.
Northeastern regional police boss Rono Bunei said attackers in the Wajir incident used Rocket Propelled Grenades that were unsuccessful.
The attack came days after intelligence reports showed the militants were marshalling along the border in Lamu and Mandera areas in readiness for attacks in Kenya.
Police have been mounting operations in the areas to deter their plans.
The terrorists have been targeting security installations in the area in a series of incidents destroying them.
This has affected among others the education sector forcing tens of teachers who are non-locals to flee.
The border region has borne the brunt of repeated attacks from the militants who are at times aided by locals.
The area is near the Somalia border and the militants usually cross at will and stage attacks before escaping back.
Al-Shabaab insurgents have been attacking places in the region especially in Mandera and Garissa after breaching security zones, which left dozens of civilians and security officials dead or wounded.
They have been planting explosives on the routes used by the security agencies and attacking them.
Edited by Kiilu Damaris
