- Coach Keithen opened a gym in Kilimani just a week before sharing a detailed cost breakdown with his followers online
- Equipment imported from China came in at KSh 1.5 million, a fraction of what local suppliers would have charged
- The total bill is expected to climb even higher once a planned steam room addition is factored in
Opening a gym in Nairobi is no small financial undertaking, and a fitness coach who goes by Coach Keithen has put real numbers to that reality in a candid Instagram video that is generating plenty of buzz online.
Source: Instagram
Filmed just one week after he launched his new gym in Kilimani, Keithen sat in front of the camera holding handwritten notes and walked viewers through every major expense involved in getting the facility up and running, from rent to reception fittings.
How much does it cost to start a gym?
The highest single cost was rent and deposit, which came to KSh 1.6 million.
"It's Kilimani, rents are a bit higher," he acknowledged.
Equipment purchased directly from China set him back KSh 1.5 million, though he was quick to point out that sourcing locally would have multiplied that figure considerably.
"If I had bought equipment from Kaya, it would have been probably three or four times the price," he said.
Shipping and clearing those imports added another KSh 1.2 million to the tab.
Legal costs for stamping the lease came to KSh 100,000, while the gym fit-out ran to KSh 200,000. Keithen noted he was fortunate to find a space that already had changing rooms, which saved him what could have been a KSh 2 million expense, bringing that line item down to KSh 100,000.
Offices and reception cost KSh 400,000, software and systems KSh 140,000, and doors alone accounted for KSh 200,000.
Electrical work, which he described as "one of the most expensive things for being so small," came to KSh 400,000, with miscellaneous costs adding roughly KSh 210,000 more.
The current tally sits at approximately KSh 6.5 million, but Keithen expects it to rise.
He plans to complete the steam rooms in the facility, a finishing job he estimates will cost an additional KSh 1 million, bringing the full project to around KSh 7.5 million.
The gym is intentionally designed to accommodate a maximum of 20 people at a time.
"We like it that way," he said, positioning the space firmly in the mid-tier category.
The video struck a nerve with many viewers.
User realest_psalmist quipped:
"That figure alone burnt a few calories in me.”
rono.h admitted the numbers were lower than expected:
"Not bad at all, was thinking KSh 10 million."
Others were curious about the importation process, with _rossie_kybe writing:
"Great video. Maybe you could do a video on how you did the importation of equipment."
lord_clinchy meanwhile asked a pointed question:
"Kenyatta shillings ama Museveni?”
Source: TUKO.co.ke