Kenyan Nurse in UK Celebrated for Saving Patient's Life Amid NHS Crisis

Country: United Kingdom
Date Published: December 2, 2025

A Kenyan nurse working in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has gone viral on X after footage emerged of her heroically intervening to save a patient's life during a chaotic shift at a London hospital. Mary Wanjiku, a 32-year-old expatriate from Nairobi who has lived in the UK for six years, was captured on a colleague's phone rushing to perform CPR on an elderly patient who had collapsed in the emergency ward. The video, posted by verified NHS whistleblower account @NHSHeroesUK on December 2, has garnered over 250,000 views, 15,000 likes, and thousands of retweets from Kenyans abroad and at home praising her quick thinking.

The incident unfolded amid ongoing discussions on X about the NHS's staffing shortages and grueling conditions for migrant healthcare workers. Wanjiku, who trained at Kenyatta National Hospital before migrating, credited her actions to "years of experience under pressure back home." Posts from Kenyan diaspora influencers like @DiasporaKenya (with 120K followers) highlighted her story as a beacon of Kenyan resilience, with one thread reading: "Mary Wanjiku embodies why Kenya exports talent to the world. NHS would collapse without us! #KenyansInUK." Regular users chimed in with personal anecdotes, sharing how Kenyan nurses have become the backbone of UK healthcare, especially post-Brexit.

However, the celebration was tinged with controversy as X users criticized the UK government's treatment of overseas workers. Several threads pointed to recent Home Office data showing increased visa scrutiny for Kenyan healthcare professionals, with @KenyanWatchdog posting: "Mary saves lives daily, but they want to deport our nurses? Hypocrisy!" This sparked debates, with over 5,000 replies debating immigration policies and the irony of celebrating migrant heroes while tightening borders. Labour MP accounts amplified the video, calling for better pay and protections.

Wanjiku herself responded humbly on X, thanking supporters and urging more Kenyans to pursue nursing abroad: "It's teamwork, not me alone. Kenya's pride is global." Her story trended under #NurseMary and #KenyansAbroad, intersecting with broader conversations about the 150,000+ Kenyan diaspora in the UK contributing £4 billion annually in remittances. As discussions continue to rage into December 5, her act has not only boosted morale among expatriate communities but also reignited calls for policy reforms to retain vital skilled workers.