Even by his own standards, flashy Zimbabwean tycoon Wicknell Chivayo acknowledges that the special treatment President William Ruto accorded him at the weekend was beyond his wildest dreams.

Chivayo is no stranger to Kenya — he has become a common feature in the corridors of power since Dr Ruto was elected president in 2022.

The man who loves to display his proximity to power has had unfettered access to President Ru-to in his offices and private residences whenever he has visited Kenya, and even when the President is on foreign visits, as was the case recently in South Africa.

Yet, despite this apparent closeness, the bromance between President Ruto and Chivayo, aka “Sir Wicknell”, reached a new high as the businessman shared a video on social media of “priceless moments in East Africa” being chauffeured by the President to “where I had left my helicopter.”

Read: Wicknell Chivayo: Controversial Zimbabwean who’s frequent visitor to State House

“I’ve lived large and had many different and exceptionally beautiful experiences in my opulent lifestyle, but certainly this was a first. Those three kilometres alone will forever remain one of the most priceless journeys of my life,” Chivayo captioned the short video.

The clip captured an informal moment as the President got behind the wheel, with Chivayo be-side him in the passenger seat and Chivayo’s wife in the back seat.

The couple were among guests at a traditional engagement ceremony between the President’s daughter, Charlene, and Tanzanian businessman Isaya Yunge on August 8 in Narok.

President Ruto and First Lady Rachel hosted the ceremony with A-list guests at their private residence on the 900-acre Intona Heritage Farm in Kilgoris.

Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo with President William Ruto.

According to Chivayo, the President drove the couple the three-kilometre distance to their helicopter.

“I honestly thought the day could not get any more special,” Mr Chivayo wrote of the presidential ride after the high-profile Kalenjin traditional engagement ceremony — Koito ak Chaik.

“As I was leaving, I then realised God had reserved one more and final unforgettable moment for me. Imagine President Ruto personally offering to drive me and drop me approximately three kilometres to the helipad where I had left my helicopter. Imagine me sitting in the front passenger seat with my wife at the back. I sat there overwhelmed with joy, thinking, ‘God, what kind of grace is this?’”

This was the latest encounter between President Ruto and Mr Chivayo, who has publicly documented at least five meetings he has held with the Kenyan leader.

And the meetings between the President and the self-styled billionaire, who publicly proclaims his rags-to-riches story, have raised eyebrows given his controversial past.

Chivayo was once imprisoned for fraud, although he has sought to overturn his conviction at the Supreme Court, despite completing the three-year sentence at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison in Zimbabwe.

The businessman, who says he has vast interests in renewable energy, petroleum and logistics in sub-Saharan Africa, has also faced numerous investigations by South African and Zimbabwean authorities.

According to a 2025 report by the BBC, one such inquiry was launched against Chivayo in 2024 by the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC).

This followed a claim by South African investigative non-profit organisation Open Secrets that Mr Chivayo had received “a windfall of millions of dollars as the facilitator of a tender to supply election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) in 2023.”

Read: Chivayo who? State distances from Zimbabwe businessman on JKIA deal

But ZEC denied any dealings with Mr Chivayo, according to the BBC, “and a year on, ZACC has not charged him.”

However, two other businessmen he is alleged to have had dealings with were arrested and charged with misappropriating around $7 million in a separate case.

According to the BBC report, the two men denied the accusations, linked to the presidential goat scheme tender, “and have spent almost a year in jail waiting for the trial to begin.”

“In bashful tones, he said his main business was government tenders secured with foreign partners in the areas of renewable energy, engineering, procurement, construction and power projects. He said he also had businesses in Kenya, South Africa and Tanzania,” the BBC article posted on June 22, 2025 said.

Chivayo has, however, publicly denied any wrongdoing, saying he had never had any influence over government procurement processes, including those involving ZEC.

It is against this background that Kenyan opposition leaders have raised questions about Chivayo’s access to the President.

Zimbabwean entrepreneur Wicknell Chivayo with president ruto — Zimbabwean entrepreneur Wicknell Chivayo during a past courtesy call on President William Ruto.

Photo credit: Pool

The opposition leaders, led by immediate former Attorney-General Justin Muturi, have cited Mr Chivayo’s past, especially alleged links to the supply of election materials in some African countries.

Mr Muturi, who is also the immediate former Public Service Cabinet Secretary, has raised questions about why Mr Chivayo continues to enjoy access to Ruto despite being linked to election-related controversies in several countries.

“What is President Ruto doing with this man?” Mr Muturi has asked.

“This man is a convicted fraudster,” Mr Muturi said in reference to Mr Chivayo.

Mr Chivayo’s social media post shows that on August 10, just a day after the Narok event, he held “high-level talks with President Ruto at State House to unveil a massive plan to channel over US$100 million into Kenya’s renewable energy, tourism, hospitality and infrastructure sectors.”

However, there was no official government position on the visit. State House spokesman Mr Hussein Mohamed did not respond to our inquiries sent to his known phone number.

Details also show that in early June 2026, Mr Chivayo paid a courtesy visit to President Ruto and First Lady Rachel at one of the President’s other farming estates.

The visit is said to have been framed around “shared agricultural interests and grassroots development ties between Kenya and Zimbabwe.”

The Zimbabwean businessman is also said to have met President Ruto and First Lady Rachel in South Africa during the President’s state visit in June.

In April, Mr Chivayo also met President Ruto at State House Nairobi, as per the photos he shared of a “warm reception” as he thanked the Head of State for accommodating him “within a demanding executive schedule.”

Wicknell Chivayo and Ruto — Zimbabwean entrepreneur and regional investor Wicknell Chivayo and President William Ruto.

Photo credit: Pool

On January 11, 2026, Mr Chivayo also met President Ruto at the Sagana State Lodge in Nyeri County, where he was photographed in a relaxed setting alongside the President and Deputy President Kithure Kindiki.

There was also no official government agenda tied to the visit. Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, who also serves as the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign Affairs, did not respond to our inquiries.

We asked Mr Mohamed and Mr Mudavadi to state Mr Chivayo’s interests in Kenya, the times he has visited Kenya in the recent past and how many meetings he has had with President Ruto during those visits.

Questionable past

We also asked them whether President Ruto finds it odd to be mingling with an individual with a questionable past.

Chivayo has also shared photos of himself with other leaders, including Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe (who died in 2019), his successor Emmerson Mnangagwa, Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu and Uganda’s Yoweri Museveni.

A Zimbabwe Africa National Union (Zanu) party Instagram handle — zanupf_2026 — posted, “business titan Wicknell Chivayo seals strategic investment talks with presidents Ruto and Samia.”

The party’s Instagram handle goes on to describe him as an “international investor, philanthropist and Zimbabwean business leader.”

Wicknell Chivayo and Ruto — Chivayo and President Ruto at State House

Photo credit: Pool

“Sir Wicknell Chivayo has concluded a high-profile engagement with two of Africa’s most transformative presidents, Kenya’s William Ruto and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan,” reads the handle.

“In Nairobi, Chivayo praised Ruto’s pragmatic, prayerful leadership propelling Kenya into Africa’s top five economies, while earlier in Zanzibar, he celebrated President Samia’s energy revolution and women’s empowerment drive.”

Recently, Chivayo was named in court papers by a lobby group that is challenging the government’s award of a lucrative tender for modernising JKA.

“Public reports further indicate that IMC Construction Kenya Limited, a company reportedly associated with Mr Wicknell Chivayo, forms part of the consortium and/or implementation structure associated with the project,” the petition by the Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) claimed.

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