Wicknell Chivayo: Just who is President Ruto's new Zimbabwean BFF

The man in question is Wicknell Chivanga, a Zimbabwean businessman and power broker with deep ties to not just the Zimbabwean presidency but also several other top figures in the Southern African governments.

Wicknell, who has since self-declared himself 'Sir', has been uncharacteristically close to President Ruto, appearing alongside him at various places, smiling broadly and emitting an aura of a self-assured man in charge of the situation.

A controversial figure in the Southern African celebrity scene, Chivayo is described on Wikipedia as a: "Socialite known for his controversial rise to wealth and subsequent involvement in high-profile corruption scandals."

Many Zimbabwean gossip outlets have described him as a man who loves the lavish life; a figure who straddles the socio-political world with pomp and character and a man who has tenaciously dominated the Zimbabwean celebrity world for more than a decade now.

Many Kenyans were first introduced to Chivayo around January 5 after he shared photos of himself at Ruto's palatial Kilgoris home. In the photos, Chivayo, in his usual hubris, can be seen cozying up to the President, dressed casually, flashing a bouncy smile and with them, his girlfriend Lucy "Lulu" Muteke.

It is practically impossible for Chivayo to travel anywhere without Lulu - he fell in love with the dashing Zimbabwean starlet after acrimoniously separating from his ex-wife Sonja Madzikanda.

After meeting the President in Kenya, Chivayo would take to X to share a rambling description of how the meeting went, and, as has been his style, mixing up the grammar, waxing lyrical and peppering the post with a disturbingly gross amount of capital letters.

Part of his diatribe went: "On our way back from an afternoon of enjoying the views and game from a helicopter , I had a very rare and extraordinary privilege to pay a courtesy visit to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Kenya Dr William Ruto and the First Lady Her Excellency Mrs Rachel Ruto at their farm in his hometown."

"Meeting one of Africa’s most distinguished leaders was a profound honour and it was inspiring to witness his deep humility and unmatched dedication to his nation."

He added, "President Ruto embodies the essence of Leadership — astute, visionary, and unwavering in his commitment to the great People of Kenya. His achievements are remarkable. Under his guidance, Kenya has become a hub of innovation."

His post, in which he lavished excessive praises on President Ruto, immediately became a talking point in Kenya with many blasting him for the shamelessly grovelling attitude and the obsequious tone of his statement.

Not yet done with the worship, he gushed, "Kenya will truly become our second home, and we look forward to returning often to experience its unmatched hospitality and the romance of its landscapes."

Many Kenyans immediately questioned President Ruto's dalliance with a man who has been, over the years, hit the headlines across Africa for what reputable publications have termed as his involvement in fraudulent activities and dubious business dealings.

Journalist Ferdinand Omondi was one of the thousands of people who reacted to the tweet, writing in part: "A man whose business dealings have left a trail of allegations and legal battles—from unaccounted millions in the Gwanda Solar Project to questions over his meteoric rise to wealth—is now flaunting ties with the president of Kenya, a country recently greylisted for financial irregularities."

"Is this an unholy alliance of questionable characters and compromised systems? Or is this simply a misadviced photo-op for a man who thrives on scandal?"

To further exemplify his solid relationship with Ruto,  Chivayo would meet the President just three weeks later, this time, at State House Nairobi, where he tagged along his girlfriend Lulu, as usual.

A day later, the flamboyant magnate would also meet Tanzania's Samia Suluhu, taking to his X platform to elucidate the purpose of the high-level meeting, and making it abundantly clear that he was at the centre of Africa's march to sustainable energy.

"Zimbabwe, with its abundant solar resources, is primed to lead Africa’s energy revolution . I therefore look forward to this Summit providing a valuable platform to explore funding opportunities and forge partnerships for impactful renewable energy projects," he wrote.

Back in November, Chivayo would rattle Namibia after the Southern African country's electoral commission awarded an ‘emergency’ contract to a company associated with the businessman.

Media reported that there was widespread uproar in Namibia after it was revealed that a South African company, Ren-Form CC, linked to Wicknell Chivayo, was awarded a N$6.2m (Ksh. 45 million) contract by the Electoral Commission of Namibia (ECN) to print ballot papers for Namibia’s general elections on 27 November.

In the same year, around July, the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission launched an investigation against Chivayo and other top government officials involved in a sweeping Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) scandal.

The investigation would eventually lead to the arrest and jailing of Chivayo's two business friends Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu who were arrested on a separate charge of embezzling funds for a $7.7m (Ksh. 900 million) tender to supply goats to the government under the Presidential Goat Scheme.

And in June 2024, Zimbabwe’s ruling Zanu PF’s Youth League ordered Chivayo to stop denigrating the image of President Emmerson Mnangagwa after audios being widely circulated on social media allegedly quoted him indicating that he was in full control of the government. They termed the audios "unfortunate, regrettable and mischievous". 

But Chivayo quickly distanced himself from all audios posted on social media in which he claimed that he was “very close” to President Emmerson Mnangagwa and was capable of getting all government contracts without any problem.

In a statement, he said, “I categorically refute, deny and dismiss with contempt, recording the voice messages in question. For the avoidance of any doubt I have never, at any material time, recorded the alleged voice messages, neither have I transmitted such to anyone."

Ruto's association with Chivayo, therefore, has understandably raised eyebrows with many Kenyans urging the President to reevaluate the relationship and guard the honour of the office he holds.

But despite the protestations, one thing is for sure - Chivayo's stronghold on African presidents cannot be understated and his unimaginable influence over African governments appears to be growing even stronger as he positions himself as the undisputed king of State machinations.