Gachagua Links Chivayo to Ruto in Explosive Claims
By Southerton Business Times Reporter, Harare
Former Kenyan Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has made explosive but unsubstantiated allegations linking the late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo to President William Ruto and an alleged plan to influence Kenya’s 2027 General Election.
Gachagua made the claims while addressing clergy in Boston, United States, on Sunday, October 4, alleging that Chivayo had been used to move and hold large sums of money on Ruto’s behalf. The former deputy president provided no documentary evidence to support the allegations, which have not been independently verified. “There was a business partner of his, a crook from Zimbabwe called Chivayo. This man, because I was his deputy, so I know, they were doing business together,” Gachagua said.
He alleged that Chivayo had been used to move foreign currency and keep money for Ruto.
“He is a man he has been using for money laundering. He gets money in dollars; that man comes with a plane, lands on a private airstrip and takes the money to keep for him,” Gachagua claimed.
Gachagua Claims Chivayo Held KSh1.5 Trillion
Gachagua further alleged that Chivayo was holding more than KSh1.5 trillion belonging to Ruto when he died. “The man has his money, over 1.5 trillion. The man is dead, his wife is dead, he doesn’t know where to begin,” he said.
The claim, equivalent to more than US$11 billion based on figures reported by Kenyan and Zimbabwean media, has not been independently substantiated. Citizen Digital also reported that Gachagua did not provide evidence for the allegation. Gachagua also linked Chivayo to an alleged scheme involving election technology ahead of Kenya’s 2027 elections.
He claimed Chivayo was expected to act as a local intermediary for a South Korean company whose technology would allegedly be used in Kenya's elections. According to Gachagua, tender specifications had been tailored to favour the unnamed company. “So this guy was a local agent for those fellows. So, this is the man he was to use to steal the vote. The guy is dead,” he alleged.
Kenya’s Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is responsible for conducting the country’s elections and has publicly documented its procurement and deployment of election technology. Its official records show previous election technology contracts have involved competitive procurement processes, but those records do not independently establish the allegations made by Gachagua about Chivayo.
Chivayo Died in Zimbabwe Helicopter Crash
Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and three others died when their helicopter crashed in the Marondera Rural area of Mashonaland East on Wednesday, September 30. Police said six people were aboard the aircraft, while international reports confirmed there were no survivors. The helicopter caught fire after the crash, complicating recovery and identification efforts. Chivayo was closely associated with Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa and was also known to have had a relationship with Ruto, who publicly mourned him after the crash.
The cause of the Marondera helicopter crash remains under investigation. Gachagua’s allegations now add an unexpected Kenyan political dimension to the death of one of Zimbabwe’s most high-profile businessmen. Neither the allegations concerning Ruto’s alleged money nor those linking Chivayo to an alleged election scheme should be treated as established facts unless supported by independent evidence.
Rigathi Gachagua Wicknell Chivayo
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