Why Opposition Leaders Across Africa Reportedly Feared Wicknell Chivayo
- A TUKO report published in October 2026 detailed why opposition politicians in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Namibia raised concerns about the late Zimbabwean billionaire Wicknell Chivayo
- Former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged Chivayo held over KSh1.5 trillion belonging to President William Ruto at the time of his death
- Chivayo faced scrutiny over a Zimbabwe election contract allegedly inflated by 235%, as well as an R800 million flagged by South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre
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The late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo drew intense scrutiny from opposition figures across the continent long before his death in a helicopter crash in October 2026, with politicians in at least three African countries raising alarms about his influence over elections and public procurement.
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A report by TUKO.co.ke, published on 21 October 2026, outlined how opposition leaders in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Namibia grew alarmed not simply by Chivayo's considerable wealth, but by how that wealth appeared to intersect with political power and electoral processes.
Gachagua's allegations against Chivayo
Among the most striking claims came from former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua. Speaking to clergy in Boston, United States, in October 2026, Gachagua alleged that Chivayo was holding more than KSh1.5 trillion belonging to President William Ruto at the time of his death.
He also alleged that Chivayo helped arrange election technology ahead of Kenya's 2027 General Election. Gachagua did not provide documentary evidence to support either claim.
Zimbabwe election contract and Namibia backlash
In Zimbabwe, Wicknell Chivayo became central to controversy surrounding the country's 2023 general election. Investigations by South African organisation Open Secrets and Zimbabwean outlet The NewsHawks examined his ties to Ren-Form, a Johannesburg-based printing company that supplied election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission.
Leaked invoices pointed to questions about the pricing of certain equipment, and Chivayo's former business associates Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu alleged the contract had been inflated by as much as 235%.
Both Ren-Form and Chivayo denied any wrongdoing. Zimbabwe's Anti-Corruption Commission later closed its investigation in December 2025, saying it found no contractual evidence linking Chivayo to the commission's procurement process.
The controversy spread south to Namibia, where at least four opposition parties wrote to that country's Electoral Commission in October 2024, demanding that Ren-Form's selection to supply ballot papers be overturned because of its association with the Zimbabwe saga.
Chivayo denied any involvement in the Namibian contract, and the electoral commission rejected suggestions of irregularity.
A separate April 2025 investigation by Open Secrets reported that South Africa's Financial Intelligence Centre had flagged more than R800 million in transfers connected to bank accounts associated with Chivayo.
He denied that the transfers amounted to kickbacks.
Chivayo died alongside his wife and several other passengers when their helicopter crashed in Zimbabwe in October 2026.
His death reignited public interest in his business dealings and his well-documented relationships with senior political figures across the region.
Wicknell and 6 Zimbabwe personalities who died, 2026
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported on Wicknell Chivayo and six notable Zimbabwean political figures who died in 2026, including former Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe and liberation war veterans.
Chivayo and his wife were among five people killed in a helicopter crash in Marondera. Several of the figures were later accorded national hero status and buried at the National Heroes Acre in Harare.
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Source: YEN.com.gh
