Kenyan Nurse in Saudi Arabia Alleges Brutal Abuse by Employer, Sparks Diaspora Outrage and Calls for Boycott

Country: Saudi Arabia
Date Published: November 27, 2025

A Kenyan nurse working in Saudi Arabia has ignited a firestorm on X (formerly Twitter) after posting graphic videos and photos detailing alleged physical and verbal abuse by her employer, prompting widespread condemnation from the Kenyan diaspora and demands for government intervention. Mary Wanjiku, who has been employed as a caregiver in Riyadh for over two years, shared a thread on November 27 that has garnered over 150,000 views, 12,000 retweets, and thousands of replies from Kenyans abroad and at home. In the posts, timestamped from her hospital bedside, Wanjiku claims she was beaten with a belt, denied food, and threatened with deportation after complaining about unpaid wages. "This is the reality for many of us here in KSA. We came for better life but found hell," she wrote, tagging Kenyan influencers like @CrazyNairobian and verified news accounts such as @C_NyaKundiH and @Kenyans.

The thread quickly went viral, amplified by diaspora communities in the US, UK, and Gulf states, where users shared similar stories of exploitation faced by Kenyan domestic workers and nurses. Verified account @DiasporaKE, a popular hub for Kenyans abroad, reposted Wanjiku's video with the caption, "Another day, another horror story from Saudi. When will @StateHouseKenya act? #EndKSAAbuse," racking up 45,000 likes. Regular users joined in, with one London-based Kenyan, @UKMkenya, posting, "My sister was deported last month for the same. These employers treat us like slaves. Boycott Saudi jobs!" Discussions highlighted systemic issues, including lack of labor protections under the kafala system and Kenya's recruitment agencies accused of false promises. Trending hashtag #JusticeForMaryWanjiku trended in Kenya and UAE by evening, blending outrage with calls for repatriation flights.

While some positive notes emerged amid the fury—praise for Wanjiku's bravery and stories of successful interventions by Kenyan embassies—controversy deepened as Saudi-based Kenyan influencers pushed back. @RiyadhKenyan, with 20k followers, argued in a counter-thread, "Not all employers are bad. Mary might have broken rules. Don't ruin opportunities for 100k+ Kenyans here." This sparked heated debates, with users accusing him of victim-blaming and sharing stats from recent X discussions showing over 500 Kenyan workers repatriated from Gulf states in 2025 alone due to mistreatment. Kenyan MPs abroad, like @MPsInDiaspora, weighed in, urging Foreign Affairs CS to summon the Saudi ambassador.

As of December 2, the story continues to dominate Kenyan X feeds, with petitions circulating for a ban on new labor migrations to Saudi Arabia gaining 10,000 signatures. Wanjiku updated her thread from a safe house provided by a sympathetic colleague, thanking supporters and pleading, "Help me get home. I can't take more." The incident underscores ongoing tensions in the lucrative but perilous Gulf job market for Kenyans, where remittances from abroad hit KSh 600 billion last year, yet personal tragedies like this fuel growing diaspora disillusionment. Kenyan authorities have yet to respond publicly, but X users vow to keep the pressure on.