Kenyan Nurse in UK Celebrated for Saving Baby's Life in Viral Hospital Drama

Country: United Kingdom
Date Published: November 27, 2025

A Kenyan nurse working in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) has become an overnight sensation on X after a heart-pounding video of her performing an emergency procedure to save a newborn's life went viral. Posted by London-based influencer @KenyanDiasporaUK on November 27, the clip, which has garnered over 500,000 views and thousands of retweets, shows nurse Mercy Wanjiku calmly resuscitating the infant during a chaotic delivery room scene at a Manchester hospital. Users across the platform, including verified Kenyan news account @K24Tv and regular expat voices, hailed her as a "true heroine," sparking widespread discussions on the invaluable contributions of Kenyan healthcare workers abroad.

The incident unfolded late on November 26 when complications arose during a routine birth, according to details shared in a thread by @MercyWanjikuNHS, the nurse's own account, which exploded with support from the Kenyan diaspora community. "In that moment, all I could think of was my training back home and the prayers from my family in Nairobi," she wrote in a follow-up post that received 20,000 likes. Fellow Kenyans in the UK, like @NairobiBoyUK, amplified the story with comments such as, "This is why we dominate nursing in the NHS—pure grit and skill!" The thread quickly trended under #KenyanHeroesAbroad, blending pride with calls for better recognition of immigrant workers.

However, the celebration wasn't without controversy. Some X users criticized the hospital for understaffing, with @UKKenyansUnion posting, "Mercy had to act alone because NHS is broken—import Kenyan talent then overload them!" This ignited debates, with over 10,000 replies split between praising systemic reforms and defending the nurse's solo heroism. British media accounts like @BBCNews picked up the story, retweeting diaspora posts and interviewing Wanjiku, who credited her Kenyan nursing diploma for equipping her with the skills needed under pressure.

The viral moment comes amid ongoing conversations about Kenyan professionals thriving overseas, with users sharing similar success stories from nurses in the US and Canada. Remittances from such workers hit a record high last month, per cited World Bank data in related threads, underscoring their economic lifeline to Kenya. As one top reply from @PresidentRuto's official account noted, "Mercy embodies the Kenyan spirit—exporting excellence worldwide," boosting national pride while fueling demands for diaspora voting rights in upcoming polls. The story continues to dominate X feeds, with fresh tributes pouring in daily.