Kenyan Nurse in Saudi Arabia Celebrated for Saving Colleague's Life Amid Work Strains, Sparks Diaspora Debate on Exploitation

Country: Saudi Arabia
Date Published: November 27, 2025
A Kenyan nurse working in Saudi Arabia has gone viral on X after sharing a heartwarming story of saving her colleague's life during a grueling night shift, drawing thousands of reactions from the Kenyan diaspora and igniting discussions on the harsh realities faced by workers abroad. The post, shared by verified influencer and nurse @Diana_KE (with over 50K followers), detailed how she performed emergency CPR on her Filipina coworker who collapsed from exhaustion in their hospital ward. "Last night was tough. My colleague fainted from fatigue—12-hour shifts non-stop. I did CPR till help came. We save lives but who saves us? #KenyansAbroad #SaudiArabia," the tweet read, amassing over 12K likes, 3K retweets, and hundreds of quote tweets within hours.

The story quickly trended under #KenyansInSaudi, with users praising Diana's heroism while highlighting systemic issues. Regular users like @Mrembo254 shared, "Shoutout to Diana! But sis, come back home—we need heroes like you here. Saudi is draining our nurses 💔," reflecting a common sentiment among over 200 replies urging repatriation. News account @Kenyans.co.ke amplified it, posting a thread with screenshots and stats: "Over 100K Kenyans in Gulf states face long hours, low pay relative to risks. Diana's story exposes the grind." Positive replies flooded in, with diaspora accounts celebrating remittances—@US_Kenyan noted, "Proud of you Diana! Your story inspires us all building better lives abroad."

However, the thread also unearthed controversy, with several users exposing allegations of exploitation. A viral reply thread from @GulfHustlerKE (a popular Kenyan expat account) claimed, "Diana's hospital is notorious for understaffing. I know nurses working 16hrs/day. Gov't should ban these contracts! #EndSaudiAbuse," garnering 5K likes and sparking debates. Critics pointed to recent reports of Kenyan workers' mistreatment, including unpaid wages and passport confiscations, echoing ongoing X discussions. Influencer @WanjikuRevolt quoted Kenyan embassy stats, adding, "Last month, 47 Kenyans evacuated from Saudi. Diana's win can't hide the losses."

The buzz has prompted calls for action, with users tagging @StateHouseKenya and @MFAKenya for better protections. As of December 2, discussions continue to grow, blending admiration for individual triumphs with frustration over diaspora challenges. Diana followed up with a video thanking supporters, saying, "Grateful for the love. We're strong, but we need support." This incident underscores the dual narrative of Kenyan resilience abroad—successes amid struggles—dominating X feeds this week.