Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, died on Wednesday evening, September 30, when a private helicopter they were travelling in crashed in rural Marondera, Zimbabwe, killing all six people on board.
Police said the aircraft went down in the Marondera Rural area at around 5pm local time, with emergency services dispatched to the scene. Police spokesperson Paul Nyathi said the bodies were badly burned, requiring formal identification before authorities could confirm the names of all those killed.
Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo later confirmed to ZBC News that Chivayo and Muteke were among the dead, saying those closest to the couple were struggling to process the loss.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police separately confirmed in a statement: “The ZRP confirms a plane crash in Marondera Rural area at 1700 hours. The aircraft had 6 occupants.” There were no survivors.
President William Ruto was among those who paid tribute, describing Chivayo as a close personal friend. “I am deeply saddened by the tragic passing of my friend, Wicknell Chivayo, together with his wife, Lucy Muteke, and the other lives lost in the helicopter crash in Zimbabwe. Wicknell was a dear friend whose warmth touched many people,” Ruto said.
The two had built a close relationship in recent years, with Chivayo having paid courtesy calls on the Kenyan president and attending a State House dinner only weeks before his death.
Chivayo, born Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo on November 22, 1980, in Chivhu, Zimbabwe, built his business profile largely around state tenders and infrastructure contracts, most notably the Gwanda Solar Project. His career was marked by repeated legal controversy.
He was arrested in 2011 on eight counts of fraud and money laundering, with five of his vehicles confiscated by the state, and faced further legal battles in later years, including over the Gwanda project’s advance payment, though he was ultimately acquitted of related charges in 2024.
Zimbabwe’s Anti-Corruption Commission said in December 2025 that it had found no evidence directly implicating him in that transaction. He was also known publicly for high-value gifts to musicians, journalists, sports organisations and security forces, and was a publicly declared supporter of Zimbabwe’s ruling ZANU-PF party.
His business interests also extended into Kenya in recent months. In June 2026, his company, IMC Construction Kenya, secured a stake in a proposed $2.9 billion infrastructure expansion project in the country, part of a broader pattern of growing business and personal ties with Kenya that followed his developing relationship with Ruto from early 2025 onward.
News of his death drew a wide and visibly mixed public reaction in Zimbabwe, reflecting the polarising reputation he had built over the years. As one commentator put it amid the online tributes and criticism alike, “Zimbabweans had very different opinions about Wicknell Chivayo. But death is not the time to celebrate disagreements.”
Authorities in Zimbabwe are expected to formally identify the remaining victims of the crash as investigations into its cause continue.
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