Kenyan Nurse in Saudi Arabia Alleges Brutal Abuse by Employer, Sparks Outrage and Diaspora Solidarity on X

Country: Saudi Arabia
Date Published: November 28, 2025

In a harrowing account that has ignited fierce debates across X (formerly Twitter), a Kenyan nurse working in Saudi Arabia has come forward with shocking allegations of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her employer. The story broke wide open on November 28, 2025, when @MercyWanjikuKE, a verified Kenyan diaspora account with over 50,000 followers, shared a lengthy thread detailing her ordeal. Posted at 9:15 PM EAT, the thread quickly amassed over 12,000 likes, 4,500 retweets, and thousands of quote tweets within hours, trending under hashtags like #JusticeForMercy and #KenyansInSaudi. Mercy, who has been in the Kingdom for three years, claimed she was beaten, denied food, and confined to a room for weeks after a minor dispute over work hours.

The viral thread painted a grim picture of Mercy's daily life, including graphic photos of bruises on her arms and back, which she attributed to her employer's family. "I came here to build a better life for my two kids back home in Kisumu, sending every shilling I earned. But now, I'm a prisoner in my own passport," she wrote in one post, which alone garnered 8,000 replies. Regular users and influencers piled on, with @DiasporaWatchKE, a popular news aggregator for Kenyan expats, amplifying the story by stitching it into a video compilation of similar complaints. Comments ranged from empathetic support—"Sisi Mercy, we see you. Tuko pamoja!" from @KiplimoAbroad—to calls for government intervention, like " @StateHouseKenya, where is @CajKenya? Evacuate our people NOW!" by verified journalist @LarryMadowo.

This incident isn't isolated; X discussions revealed a surge in posts about the plight of Kenyan domestic workers and nurses in Gulf countries over the past two weeks. A search for "Kenyans Saudi abuse" from November 18 to December 2, 2025, yields over 15,000 tweets, many linking to a November 22 thread by @GulfMigrantsKE, which documented five similar cases in Riyadh alone. Positive counter-narratives exist, such as success stories from nurses who've thrived, but the controversy dominates, with users criticizing Kenya's labor export policies. Influencer @BahatiKenya retweeted Mercy's post, adding, "Our government sends us to slaughterhouses abroad. Time for accountability," fueling a broader conversation on remittances versus human rights—Kenyans abroad sent $4.2 billion home in 2025, per Central Bank data cited in replies.

Mercy's story has prompted action beyond X. By December 2, the Kenyan Embassy in Riyadh tweeted an update confirming they were "in contact with the complainant and coordinating with Saudi authorities," a response that drew mixed reactions—praise from some like @EmbuDiaspora ("Finally!"), skepticism from others ("Too late, they've been ignoring this for years," per @NairobiExpat). Regular users shared tips on escape routes and legal aid, while a petition on Change.org, linked in dozens of tweets, surpassed 10,000 signatures calling for a moratorium on labor migration to Saudi Arabia. News accounts like @K24Tv and @CitizenTVKE picked up the thread, broadcasting segments that further amplified the discussion.

The backlash has also highlighted successes amid the strife, with users contrasting Mercy's tale to that of @DrAkinyiUS, a Kenyan nurse in the US who celebrated a promotion on November 25, but the negative dominates. Critics on X, including economist @DrDavidNdii, argued that "cheap labor exports are a national scam," linking it to broader economic woes. As the thread continues to evolve, with Mercy updating her status from a "safe house" provided by fellow Kenyans, the diaspora community remains mobilized. Hashtag activity peaked on November 29, with over 5,000 posts, underscoring the raw power of social media in exposing expat vulnerabilities. Kenyan authorities have yet to issue a formal statement, but pressure mounts as X users vow to keep the story alive until justice—or evacuation—is served.

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