Ayub Ahmed, a 4-year-old boy, rescued from Tsavo East National Park late last year received a life-changing deal after Garsen Member of Parliament Ali Wario adopted him.
Reports indicated that the legislator sought the consent of Ahmed's parents before making the move.
While addressing the residents in Tana River County, Wario described the boy as a miracle owing to surviving six days at Tsavo East National Park.
"The boy got lost for almost a week without food or water. God protected him until rescuers were able to locate him and retrieve him. If his parents would allow, I would like to adopt him and educate him moving forward," Wario stated.
The boy's father, Ahmed Abdi Salah, agreed to Wario's offer.
Locals recalled the incident while indicating how fortunate Ahmed was to survive for days without food or water.
"Recently, we lost two children who got lost in the same manner. They died after a few hours owing to the scorching sun and lack of water," the resident pointed out.
While narrating the December 2022, ordeal, Salah indicated that his son was playing at his homestead at a time when herders were driving the cattle out to graze.
Hours later, the family noticed that he was missing and his father notified the area chief who mounted a search.
Six days later, Ahmed was rescued when journalists paid a visit to the park during a relief-food distribution exercise.
Roan Carr-Hartley, a pilot from Sheldrick Wildlife Trust who noticed the boy from his chopper, noted that all odds were against the child, who was alone in the vast wilderness packed with wild animals.
"Four hours of scanning revealed nothing but hyenas and jackals, then I saw a tiny boy surrounded by endless wilderness. I was in shock that he was still alive and walking," Carr-Hartley stated.
He noted that the area was relatively dry and that a child of his age would have easily died of dehydration were it not for the storm on the fourth day of his disappearance.
"In the absence of fresh tracks and a general area to narrow down the search, nothing more could be done from the air," the pilot wrote.
He, however, was able to locate a tiny figure who cowered away from the plane. The rescue crew managed to retrieve the boy and administer first aid.
