Dubai single dad's journey from security guard to UAE entrepreneur goes viral, wins hearts

Dubai: A Kenyan single father's Instagram post about his decade-long struggle and survival in Dubai has struck a chord with tens of thousands of people.

Felix Shikoli Mate, 35, shared photos and a short account on Monday, October 26, tracing his journey from security guard to fitness coach and company owner raising two daughters alone. Within a day, the post (see below) had attracted more than 650,000 views and around 40,000 likes.

Speaking to Gulf News on Tuesday, Felix said he left his daughters in Kenya and sold belongings and property back home to pay an agent around Dh5,000 for a chance to work in Dubai.

His photos capture the different chapters of his life: his first partitioned bedspace, his daughters in school uniform, collecting bottles for fuel points, and training government employees before eventually running his own company.

"Whenever something happened in my life, I would take a picture," he recalled.

Some have compared his story to The Pursuit of Happyness, about a father overcoming homelessness and financial hardship to build a better future for his son. Felix hopes his journey will eventually resemble King Richard, the film about Venus and Serena Williams' father, whose determination and long-term vision helped prepare his daughters for success.

From basement car park to cycling club

Felix arrived in Dubai during Ramadan in the summer of 2017. After two months of training with a prominent security services company, his good English earned him a posting at an Emirates cabin crew building, where he spent about two years working in the basement car park.

Being an off-road cycling athlete back home, he borrowed a friend's bicycle to explore Muhaisnah after duty. One day, he spotted a group of Emirates Cycling Group and asked to join them.

"They welcomed me," he recalled.

They helped him get a bicycle and uniform, and conversations over coffee turned to children and family life.

After his mother died, the club took him for a ride at Nad Al Sheba cycling track and gifted him a road bike he still uses.

"They did not give me money, but they gave me something more valuable: advice," he said.

Their conversations made him think about his daughters and ask himself: "When will I bring my children here?"

Setbacks and a fresh start

Felix later joined a sports academy in Al Quoz, but delays in his new visa led his former employer to place him on absconding status. He spent two weeks in Al Awir jail.

"It taught me that you must respect the rules of the country and your visa status," he said.

His new employer paid the fine. Felix travelled to Oman, changed his visa status and returned to Dubai. He then worked at the academy for about four years.

During that time, he completed a personal trainer diploma and obtained his driving licence, taking two years for each because he could not afford to pay continuously.

Inspired by American Ninja Warrior, he proposed an obstacle course to his boss, who then ordered the equipment. Felix said he later trained teams from government entities, including DHA, RTA, DEWA, CDA and Civil Defence, during the first Gov Games, now known as the Dubai Games.

When he lost his job during the pandemic, he began freelancing as a cycling coach. Demand grew, friends joined him, and his company UAE Ninja Warriors finally took shape.

Licensed for about five years, the company now employs around 10 people. Its coaches travel to clients' homes for cycling, swimming, running, football and fitness sessions, while also setting up obstacle courses for parties and events.

Raising two daughters alone

Felix first brought his daughters to Dubai on one-month visit visas so they could decide whether they would be happy living here. His younger daughter, Ridemtta Mwaka Shikoli Nikita, arrived at five and is now 11. Her elder sister, Rosemary Bakhitta, joined at nine and is now 14.

When school fees became unaffordable, Felix home-schooled the girls with help.

"They learned that we don't always get what we want but we never stop pushing," he wrote in his post.

In 2025, Nikita, a runner, was recognised by Dubai Women's Run and Dubai Fitness Challenge. His kids are excelling in football as well.

Felix's alarm rings at 2.45am so he can prepare breakfast before the girls wake at 3am for training. After school runs, client sessions and activities, he often gets home around 8pm or 9pm.

He sleeps about three hours at home, sometimes catching another hour in his car. "I know that is not healthy," he admitted, hoping to rest properly once life settles down.

What Dubai taught him

The Covid-19 pandemic, the April 2024 floods that left almost all his vehicles beyond repair, and the recent regional conflict, which prompted some clients to leave the country, have tested his business. Yet Felix remains determined.

"If you reach a bump in the road, slow down, get over it, and then keep going. Enjoy the journey," he said.

Dubai, he added, taught him that "there is hope". He often recalls a motivational saying about animals having to run, regardless of whether they are a cheetah or an antelope.

The idea echoes a message shared by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai: "Every morning, when a deer wakes up in Africa, it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. And every morning in Africa, when the lion wakes up, it must outrun the slowest gazelle, or it will starve. In the UAE and Dubai, I don't care if you are a deer or a lion. When you wake up, you better start running."

Felix said in his post: "Dubai raised me from a guard to an employer, from a lonely cyclist to a community, from a father far away to a father of champions. I came to raise my girls. Dubai raised us all."

The story behind the post

Felix had kept his story private, worried his daughters might feel uncomfortable at school, until a former security colleague encouraged him to share it. The post took about a week to prepare and reconnected him with a former cabin crew member, now a pilot, who recognised him from the photos after 10 years.

He tries to respond to every kind comment, but says the post captures only 35 to 40 per cent of his journey.

"I may not be where I want to be, but I am happy with where I am now," he wrote.

And he is not done yet. "We have a long way to go! I will have fresh stories to share with you about myself and my daughters in a couple of years," he added.