Wicknell Chivayo, a prominent Zimbabwean businessman and founder of Intratrek Zimbabwe, died on September 30, 2026, at the age of 43. Born on November 22, 1982, in the Gandami area of Chivhu, Mashonaland East, Chivayo built a business empire centered on government infrastructure contracts. He was widely known in Zimbabwe by the moniker "Sir Wicknell" and had close public associations with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and President William Ruto.
Chivayo had expanded his business interests into Kenya in the months before his death. In June 2026, his company IMC Construction Kenya was included as a joint-venture partner by a Chinese consortium led by China Communications Construction Company, securing a stake in the proposed KSh 375 billion (USD 2.9 billion) expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. This move marked a significant foray into the Kenyan market for Chivayo's business ventures.
Chivayo's business career was marred by a series of legal proceedings. A 2004 conviction for theft by false pretences relating to a foreign currency transaction resulted in a three-year prison sentence at Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison. He was also arrested in 2011 on eight counts of fraud and money laundering, but was fully acquitted after trial.
Chivayo's flagship Zimbabwean company, Intratrek Zimbabwe, was awarded a contract worth approximately KSh 22.2 billion (USD 172 million) to construct a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Gwanda, Matabeleland South in 2015. However, substantive construction work was never carried out, and the Zimbabwe Power Company paid Intratrek an advance of KSh 645 million (USD 5 million).
A further 2018 arrest over the Gwanda Solar Project advance payment led to protracted proceedings that concluded in 2024, when a magistrate court ruled the state had failed to establish a prima facie case. A bribery charge alleging he paid KSh 1.29 million (USD 10,000) to a former Zimbabwe Power Company board chairman to influence the tender was also dismissed.
Chivayo was also known for high-value gifts to public figures, with an investigation by Zimbabwean media finding he spent over KSh 1.2 billion (USD 9.3 million) on luxury cars and gifts within a single twelve-month period. Recipients included broadcasters, musicians, football clubs, and branches of the Zimbabwean security forces.
Chivayo is survived by two children from his first marriage to Sonja Madzikanda, which ended in divorce in 2024, and his second wife Lucy Muteke, whom he married in March 2025. The cause of his death was a helicopter crash on September 30, 2026.
Key points
- Wicknell Chivayo died in a helicopter crash on September 30, 2026, at the age of 43.
- Chivayo had secured a stake in Kenya's proposed KSh 375 billion JKIA expansion through his company IMC Construction Kenya.
- Chivayo faced multiple criminal proceedings over his career, including charges linked to the Gwanda Solar Project.
