Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has made explosive and unverified allegations linking President William Ruto to late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, who died in a helicopter crash in Zimbabwe on Tuesday.
Speaking while addressing clergy in Boston, United States, on Sunday, October 4, 2026, Gachagua alleged that Chivayo had been conducting business with President Ruto and was being used to move and hold money on his behalf.
The claims, which Gachagua made without providing any documentary evidence, 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 in a video of the address that has been shared widely on social media.
He further alleged: “He is a man he has been using for money laundering. He gets money in dollars, that man comes with a plane, lands in a private airstrip and takes the money to keep for him.”
Gachagua went on to claim that at the time of his death, Chivayo was holding more than Ksh1.5 trillion that allegedly belonged to the President.
“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 claimed, adding that the President had “gone berserk” following the crash because the funds were now untraceable.
Citizen Digital, TUKO.co.ke and other local outlets that reported the remarks noted they could not independently verify the claims and that Gachagua offered no evidence during his address.
Gachagua also sought to distance himself from any involvement in the crash.
“William Ruto, please don’t blame Riggy G. I didn’t kill this guy. I was in the United States. The accident happened in Zimbabwe. Surely, I have nothing to do with it,” he told the gathering, according to Africa First News.
The former Deputy President further alleged that Chivayo was involved in an arrangement to influence Kenya’s 2027 General Election, claiming the businessman was an “expert in stealing elections” and was to act as a local agent for election technology from a South Korean company.
He provided no evidence for this claim either.
Chivayo, 43, who styled himself as “Sir Wicknell”, died alongside his wife Lucy Muteke and three other people when their helicopter came down at Kudenga Farm in Marondera, about 70km east of Harare, at around 5pm on September 30.
Zimbabwean police and government spokesperson Nick Mangwana confirmed there were no survivors. Family spokesperson Herbert Chivayo confirmed the deaths to state broadcaster ZBC.
Chivayo was the founder of Intratrek Zimbabwe and was known for his lavish lifestyle, close ties to politicians across Africa, and lucrative government contracts that had repeatedly attracted scrutiny.
He had denied allegations of wrongdoing linked to his business dealings. His connection to Kenya had drawn public attention in recent months after he shared photos and videos of meetings with President Ruto at State House Nairobi.
Following his death, President Ruto mourned him in a condolence message, describing him as a “dear friend” and saying he would remember him for his “warmth, energy and deep conviction in the possibilities of our continent.”
Earlier in the week, State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed had flagged a fake condolence statement attributed to the President that was circulating online, stating: “We have taken note of a fictitious statement on the death of a Zimbabwean national that is circulating on social media and maliciously attributed to President William Ruto. The statement is fake.”
As of Sunday evening, neither President Ruto nor State House had publicly responded to Gachagua’s latest money-laundering claims.
Gachagua, who was impeached as Deputy President in October 2024 and whose legal challenge is still before court, has continued to position himself as a critic of the Ruto administration, campaigning on a one-term message and accusing the President of prioritizing personal enrichment over public interest.
His remarks in Boston are the latest in a prolonged public confrontation between the two former allies.
