Depressing stories of Ugandans living in the UAE have dominated the media these past many weeks. This is, however, one side of the story – there are success stories too. “Honestly, people like to tell and listen to sad stories. All of it is not bad, although the bad tends to attract more attention,” Ishaq Kayiizi, a Dubai-based Ugandan elite fitness coach, tells me via zoom. Kayiizi, who is 28 years old, has been living and working in Dubai for 5 years now. With a clientele of top sports talents such as Ajax FC’S Jurrien Timber, FC Twente’s Asedi Anass Salah Eddine, Fulham FC’s Issa Diop, and celebrities such as Charlie Sloth, Cash Papi, Jessica Smith, and more, he’s easily one of the good stories no one is telling you.
According to Ken Research, Dubai Active Industry’s knowledge partner, UAE’s fitness and wellness industry is expected to reach over $600 million by 2025. Plus, the online health and fitness market in the country is expected to contribute $36.5 million in revenue in 2025. This is an opportunity Kayiizi tapped into as soon as he moved to Dubai, having been a fitness enthusiast when he was still in Kampala. “Dubai is a place where many sports personalities and celebrities travel on holiday. Also, we have so many professionals here. Their 9-to5 work schedule never allows them the opportunity to exercise. This is how I come in as the personal trainer who supports them on their health and fitness journey.
Kayiizi’s journey starts in a local gym in Banda, Kampala. “I was still at university at the time, and my pals and I frequented this local gym in our neighborhood. At first, it was about keeping fit, but later I grew fond of it,” he recounts. After school, an opportunity to travel to UAE to visit his uncle presented itself. “When I got to Dubai, I learned that the only work opportunities available to my contemporaries were odd jobs like cleaning or working as security guards. I didn’t see myself taking up such jobs.”
Kayiizi, who describes himself as a hungry individual who enjoys challenges, did his research, and fitness and wellness health came up as a viable career opportunity to pursue. “With the little experience I had from back home, this was a bit scary for me. The gyms here are world-class sports centers. I immediately sought mentorship from a Ugandan working in the same field. Six months later, he was done, and I had to figure the rest of it on my own,” he recalls.
He applied to join Fitness First Dubai, one of Dubai’s leading health and fitness chains, with a wide range of branches across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah, as a fitness instructor. “This was a hard one. I tried to apply online many times but it never worked, until I physically visited their premises. I had no appointment but still luckily managed to meet the manager who pointed out that I needed certification to join them.” Because certification required enrolling in a course, and he had no funds for this, he took up a job in customer service. “Halfway into my certification course, I went back and re-applied. This time, I was taken on.” Working with Fitness Fast Dubai offered him a rare opportunity of navigating the nuts and bolts of the business, and one year later, he was out.
The Covid-19 pandemic came with its challenges, but for Kayiizi, these were opportunities. With more people choosing to priotise their physical health, there was a fitness boom. “I informed all my clients that I was starting my own personal brand, and invited them to come to join me. I managed to get six clients at the start. It’s not what I expected and it sort of killed my morale,” he recalls. “I then used the sales knowledge I had acquired from Fitness Fast. I would aggressively ask clients to refer me to friends and colleagues.”
The referral model earned him his first celebrity client, an influencer called Kash, who boosted his social media and introduced him to more fitness enthusiasts. “ Then I got a referral from a well-established coach called Meddy who had mentored me for some time. Two weeks later, he came to train with a friend. Little did I know that he had come with Jurrien Timber, a Dutch soccer player. At that time, I didn’t know who he was. Then, during his summer break, Issa Diop, a French footballer who plays as a center-back for Premier League club Fulham, came in. The rest was history.”
“What exactly do you do for your clients?” I ask. “I tailor fitness and wellness plans, assign exercise routines based on their physical needs, and also monitor their progress. Athletes train daily, when they are here I’m super busy.” And, with the internet, he can monitor the progress of his clients from wherever they are, it’s an exciting experience
Dubai being a cosmopolitan city offers lots of opportunities for businesses in the fitness space. “It gets bigger every time because of the sedentary lifestyle here – people spend most of their time seated in offices and driving cars. The only time they get to exercise is in the gym. In fact, each building here has a gym facility, ” he explains.
With the success of his brand in Dubai, Kayiizi is setting his sights on setting up a world-class fitness chain in Uganda. “Our first facility is under construction in Kitende. It shall feature a gymnasium, a studio, a massage parlour, sauna and steam services,” he tells me. “I’d like for us to look at sports and fitness as something everyone can be a part of. Accessing quality gym services should not be only for those in Kampala.” He continues, “Ugandans, especially, young people, are interested in fitness. However, facilities to access health and wellness services are not accessible. This project will make these facilities accessible to everyone everywhere. It doesn’t matter if it’s not very profitable, as long as it doesesn’t sink us into loses. The project should take us around two years to complete.”
Kayiizi is passionate about returning all his experience and contacts to better his community back home. “There are lots of Ugandans littered across the world who are doing great things. It’s quite unfair of them if fellow Ugandans aren’t benefitting from these great things they are doing,” he says.
Ishaq at work
Lucky for him, he doesn’t get so homesick because his family frequently visits Dubai. “I last visited Uganda in 2019. Definitely, I miss the food. We have Ugandan restaurants here, but it’s not the same like at home.” Away from work, he says, “Sometimes I attend events and parties. I hangout with friends. I play video games.”
Kayiizi’s goal is to change the game in the fitness industry, especially back home in Uganda, to create an environment where people can detach from the old mentality that fitness and wellness are a preserve of bodybuilders and bouncers.
Ishaq is available on instagram via @ishaq_personal_trainer
satisfashionug@gmail.com
