• Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, who died in a helicopter crash in October 2026, attracted scrutiny from opposition politicians across multiple African countries over his ties to election-related contracts
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• Former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua alleged Chivayo held over KSh 1.5 trillion on behalf of President William Ruto and was connected to plans around Kenya's 2027 General Election
• In Zimbabwe and Namibia, opposition figures raised concerns about a South African printing firm linked to Chivayo winning contracts to supply election materials
Wicknell Chivayo’s relationships with powerful African politicians, his involvement in controversial public procurement deals , and his conspicuous displays of wealth made him a subject of scrutiny beyond Zimbabwe, where he built his business empire.
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For opposition leaders in several countries, the central concern was not simply the wealth of the late Zimbabwean businessman, but the questions surrounding the intersection of political influence, public contracts and the credibility of elections.
However, the allegations varied from country to country, and there is no verified evidence that all the opposition figures who questioned his activities believed he was involved in electoral manipulation.
Chivayo died in a helicopter crash in Zimbabwe in October 2026, alongside his wife and other passengers. His death brought renewed attention to his business dealings and political connections, including allegations made by former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua linking him to President William Ruto and Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
Gachagua’s explosive claims about Chivayo and 2027 election
In October 2026, Gachagua publicly alleged that Chivayo had been involved in financial dealings with Ruto and had held more than KSh1.5 trillion belonging to the Kenyan president when he died.
Speaking to clergy in Boston, United States, the former deputy president claimed that Chivayo had been used to transport and hold money on Ruto’s behalf. He also alleged that the businessman was connected to a plan involving election technology ahead of Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
Gachagua described Chivayo as someone experienced in manipulating elections across Africa and alleged that he was expected to act as a local intermediary for a South Korean technology company involved in election-related arrangements.
However, Gachagua did not provide documentary evidence to substantiate the alleged KSh1.5 trillion money laundering or election-interference claims. Citizen Digital reported that it could not independently verify the allegations. They should therefore be understood as claims made by a political opponent, not established facts.
The allegations nevertheless brought Chivayo’s previously publicised association with Ruto into Kenya’s political debate. Photographs and reports of their interactions had already attracted attention, but personal proximity to a president does not, on its own, establish a business arrangement or wrongdoing.
Zimbabwe’s election tender controversy
Chivayo’s most extensively documented controversy concerned the supply of election materials for Zimbabwe’s 2023 general election.
Investigations by South African investigative organisation Open Secrets and Zimbabwean publication The NewsHawks examined the relationship between Chivayo and Ren-Form, a Johannesburg-based printing company involved in supplying election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).
Leaked invoices and other documents raised questions about the prices charged for equipment supplied under the contract.
Among the figures highlighted were R23 million (approximately KSh182.2 million) invoiced for a central server that Open Secrets said normally cost approximately R90,000 (KSh712,800), and R68,700 (approximately KSh544,100) charged per portable toilet. The investigation also examined increases in the quoted prices of biometric voter registration kits.
Chivayo’s former business associates, Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, alleged that the contract had been inflated by as much as 235%. Open Secrets reported that Ren-Form had received at least R570 million (approximately KSh4.51 billion), while The NewsHawks estimated that total payments could have reached approximately R1.8 billion (approximately KSh14.26 billion).
These figures were reported allegations and estimates, not a judicial finding that the entire contract was fraudulent. Ren-Form denied wrongdoing, while Chivayo disputed the authenticity of leaked material and rejected allegations against him. The ZEC also denied wrongdoing and maintained that its procurement was above board.
The controversy became particularly sensitive because election procurement concerns not only the expenditure of public funds but also confidence in the institutions responsible for administering elections.
In December 2025, Zimbabwe’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) closed its investigation into Chivayo, stating that it had found no contractual evidence linking him to the ZEC procurement. However, Open Secrets subsequently reported that South African investigations into related financial transactions remained active.
Open Secrets reported findings attributed to South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre concerning transfers from Ren-Form to businesses associated with Chivayo. Such financial transfers, even where documented, do not by themselves establish that the money represented bribes or proceeds of crime.
The distinction matters: the public record contains serious allegations and reported financial findings, but those should not be presented as proof of criminal guilt.
Why Namibia’s opposition parties raised concerns
Zimbabwe’s election procurement controversy also affected the debate over election materials in neighbouring Namibia.
In October 2024, The Namibian reported that at least four opposition parties had written to the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN), demanding that it revoke the selection of Ren-Form to supply ballot papers for the country’s elections.
The objections followed media reports linking the company to the Zimbabwe procurement controversy and raising questions about Chivayo’s alleged association with the supplier.
The concerns were significant because Namibia was preparing for its own elections, and opposition parties wanted assurances about the credibility of the supplier responsible for essential election materials.
Chivayo denied any involvement in the Namibian ballot-paper contract. He described the allegations linking him to it as baseless. The ECN also rejected claims that anything was amiss with its selection of the company.
The Namibian report provides evidence that opposition parties questioned the award to Ren-Form. It does not, however, establish that Chivayo personally controlled the Namibian contract or that the country’s election was manipulated.
The episode illustrates why a supplier’s previous controversies can become politically sensitive when the same company is selected to provide election materials in another country. It also demonstrates the importance of separating concerns about procurement transparency from allegations of electoral fraud.
Zimbabwe’s opposition questioned the anti-corruption investigation
The dispute did not end with ZACC’s decision to close its investigation into Chivayo.
In December 2025, Zimbabwean opposition figure and lawyer Fadzayi Mahere criticised the commission’s conclusion, questioning whether investigators had adequately examined reported financial transactions and possible third-party payments associated with the contract.
Mahere argued that the investigation was too narrow and questioned whether information attributed to South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre had been properly considered.
Her criticism represented an opposition challenge to the adequacy of the investigation, rather than proof that Chivayo had committed an offence.
The disagreement exposed a wider political issue in Zimbabwe: whether official investigations into allegations involving politically connected businesspeople are sufficiently comprehensive and transparent to command public confidence.
For opposition politicians, the question was not resolved merely by the absence of a direct contract between Chivayo and the electoral commission. They argued that investigators also needed to examine the wider network of suppliers, intermediaries and financial transactions.
ZACC’s decision, however, must also be reported fairly. Its finding that it had not established a contractual link between Chivayo and the ZEC tender should not be omitted simply because opposition figures disputed the investigation.
South Africa’s role in the controversy
South Africa featured prominently in the controversy because Ren-Form was based in Johannesburg and the reported payments and transfers involved South African financial institutions and businesses.
Open Secrets and The Sentry investigated the procurement arrangement, while South Africa’s Financial Intelligence Centre was reported to have examined financial flows involving Ren-Form and companies associated with Chivayo.
In an April 2025 investigation, Open Secrets reported that the Financial Intelligence Centre had identified more than R800 million (approximately KSh6.34 billion) in transfers to business bank accounts associated with Chivayo. The findings raised further questions about the movement of funds connected to the Zimbabwe procurement deal.
Chivayo disputed allegations of wrongdoing and denied that the existence or size of payments established that they were kickbacks.
Ren-Form also denied wrongdoing. In an interview with Open Secrets, the company’s sales director, Jean-Pierre du Sart, called all the allegations false and said, “In any project there’s changes.”
When asked if Ren-Form paid Chivayo, Du Sart said, “He’s one of our agents over there, so there’s nothing wrong with that.”
That notwithstanding, Chivayo's powerful network and mysterious hand in election-related matters made most opposition leaders seeking to challenge sitting African presidents uncomfortable with his presence in their countries.
Source: TUKO.co.ke