Kenyan Nurse in UK Fired After Leading Anti-Racism Protest at Hospital, Sparks Diaspora Fury

Country: United Kingdom
Date Published: January 5, 2026

London, UK – A Kenyan nurse based in the UK has become the center of a heated online storm after claiming she was dismissed from her job at a major National Health Service (NHS) hospital for organizing an anti-racism walkout. The story exploded on X (formerly Twitter) over the weekend, with a viral thread by verified Kenyan diaspora influencer @UKMkenya (with over 50k followers) amassing more than 25,000 likes, 8,000 retweets, and hundreds of quote tweets from Kenyans abroad sharing similar experiences of workplace discrimination.

According to the original post by the nurse, who goes by the handle @NurseWanjikuUK, the incident unfolded on December 31, 2025, during a New Year's shift at a London hospital. She alleged that a colleague made racially charged remarks about African staff "taking jobs from Brits," prompting her to rally about a dozen coworkers—many from migrant backgrounds—for a brief protest in the staff room. Hospital management reportedly intervened swiftly, suspending her on the spot and terminating her contract days later, citing "disruption to patient care." Screenshots of her dismissal email and WhatsApp chats with colleagues circulated widely, fueling accusations of unfair treatment.

The X discourse quickly polarized, with positive support pouring in from Kenyan communities in the US, Canada, and Australia. Users like @DiasporaWatchKE praised her as a "hero standing up for us all," while news accounts such as @KenyansAbroadNews retweeted the thread, linking it to broader NHS staffing shortages exacerbated by post-Brexit immigration rules. One viral reply from a verified BBC health correspondent noted, "Migrant nurses make up 20% of NHS staff—stories like this highlight tensions amid recruitment drives." Hashtags #JusticeForWanjiku and #KenyansInUK trended in Kenya and the UK, drawing over 100,000 impressions in 24 hours.

Criticism also emerged, with some UK-based Kenyans and conservative voices labeling the protest "unprofessional" and arguing it played into anti-immigrant narratives. Regular users shared counter-stories of Kenyans fired for lesser reasons, like tardiness amid grueling 12-hour shifts, while others debated the risks of activism on work visas. As of January 7, Wanjiku has launched a GoFundMe for legal fees, raising £15,000 in two days, and vowed to appeal the dismissal through her union, UNISON. The hospital has not commented publicly, but the saga underscores ongoing challenges for Kenya's 200,000+ diaspora in Europe, from exploitation to cultural clashes, as discussed in dozens of threads across X.