Uriri rejects US$350,000 gift as Mpofu praises legal independence
By Staff Reporter
HARARE — Advocate Lewis Uriri has declined a package of gifts worth US$350,000 from businessman Wicknell Chivayo, saying accepting the money and vehicle could create a perception of financial obligation and compromise his professional independence.
Uriri rejected a new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography valued at US$250,000, US$50,000 in cash for fuel and a further US$50,000 offered to his wife, Mrs Uriri, as a “handbag allowance”. In a statement issued on Monday, Uriri said he and his wife had carefully considered the offer before deciding not to accept any of the gifts. He said he last spoke to Chivayo in June 2024 and had not undertaken professional work for him since then. Any previous work, he added, had been carried out in his professional capacity and paid for in full.
The offer had therefore come as a surprise, and without prior discussion, Uriri said. “Applying those standards to these circumstances, I consider it necessary to decline benefits that could reasonably create a perception of personal financial obligation extending beyond a concluded and fully remunerated professional engagement,” he said. Uriri cited Zimbabwe’s Legal Practitioners’ Code of Conduct, as well as principles associated with the International Bar Association and the International Commission of Jurists, which emphasise integrity, professional independence and public confidence in the legal profession.
“My wife and I attach great importance to preserving both our professional standing and public confidence in our independence,” he said. Chivayo had earlier announced the gifts in a public tribute to Uriri, whom he described as “Senior Counsel Par Excellence” and a lawyer who had represented him with courage, commitment and professionalism. He said the vehicle was fully paid for and ready for collection, while the two cash gifts were intended as a gesture of appreciation for Uriri’s past legal work and his wife’s alleged contribution to preparing legal arguments.
Uriri, however, said the decision to decline the gifts was firm and asked Chivayo to respect the position. Advocate Thabani Mpofu has praised Advocate Lewis Uriri for rejecting a US$350,000 gift package from businessman Wicknell Chivayo, describing the decision as an important defence of professional independence. Mpofu said Uriri’s refusal demonstrated that legal principles should take precedence over personal gain, even when accepting the gifts would have been easier.
“Lewis Uriri’s decision to disclaim Wicknell Chivayo’s public gift is a matter of the highest importance, and it must not pass without emphatic commendation,” Mpofu said. “As I have always said, some decisions matter. This is one of them.” Chivayo had publicly offered Uriri a brand-new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography valued at US$250,000, US$50,000 in cash for fuel and another US$50,000 to Uriri’s wife as a “handbag allowance”. The total package was valued at US$350,000.
Uriri rejected all three gifts, saying acceptance could create a perception of financial obligation beyond a concluded and fully paid professional relationship. In a statement issued on Monday, Uriri said he and Chivayo last spoke in June 2024 and that he had undertaken no professional work for him since then. “The historical work to which your tribute refers was performed in my professional capacity and paid for in full. My remuneration was for services actually rendered,” he said.
Uriri said Chivayo’s announcement had come without prior notice or discussion. He added that the value of the gifts and their connection to previous legal services required careful consideration. He cited Zimbabwe’s Legal Practitioners’ Code of Conduct, together with principles associated with the International Bar Association and the International Commission of Jurists, which emphasise integrity, professional independence and public confidence in the legal profession. “Applying those standards to these circumstances, I consider it necessary to decline benefits that could reasonably create a perception of personal financial obligation extending beyond a concluded and fully remunerated professional engagement,” Uriri said.
Mpofu said the decision should be understood within the context of Uriri’s standing as one of Zimbabwe’s senior advocates.
He stressed that an advocate and an attorney are distinct branches of the legal profession and said Uriri’s seniority made the decision particularly significant. “Among Advocates who remain actively engaged in practice, Lewis is the most senior,” Mpofu said, adding that he ranked immediately after Uriri by seniority of call to the Bar. Mpofu argued that Uriri’s refusal was not merely a personal decision but a statement about the legal profession’s obligation to preserve independence.
“It is the legal profession, at its highest litigation levels, choosing independence over convenience and principle over gain,” he said. He added that the decision affirmed that professional principles should not be treated as ideals to be invoked only when convenient.
“Principles are not ornaments to be invoked when convenient. They are obligations to be honoured, especially when doing so carries a cost even when that cost is an Autobiography,” Mpofu said.
Mpofu also said the decision was significant because it came at a time when he believed some institutions had failed to provide the moral leadership expected of them. “What Lewis has done therefore carries significance far beyond the immediate discussion,” he said. “It says that when some people refuse to stand, others will still be found who are willing to do what is right.” Chivayo had announced the gifts in a public tribute to Uriri, praising him as “Senior Counsel Par Excellence” and crediting him with defending him fearlessly in past legal matters.
He also praised Uriri’s wife, who is a lawyer, suggesting that she may have contributed to the preparation of some of his legal arguments.
Uriri, however, said the couple’s decision was final. “We appreciate the generosity expressed and your acknowledgment of my past work. Our decision is nevertheless firm: we will not accept the vehicle or either of the cash gifts,” he said.
Lewis Uriri rejects Chivayo gift
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