Gachagua claims Zimbabwean businessman Chivayo held Ruto’s Ksh.1.5T before fatal crash

• Speaking during an engagement with clergy in Boston, United States, Gachagua claimed Chivayo, who died alongside his wife and four others in a helicopter crash in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, had business dealings with President Ruto.

Speaking during an engagement with clergy in Boston, United States, Gachagua claimed Chivayo, who died alongside his wife and four others in a helicopter crash in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, had business dealings with President Ruto.

Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has made explosive allegations linking President William Ruto to late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, claiming the tycoon held money on the President's behalf and was part of an alleged plan to influence Kenya's 2027 General Election.

Speaking during an engagement with clergy in Boston, United States, Gachagua claimed Chivayo, who died alongside his wife and four others in a helicopter crash in Zimbabwe on Wednesday, had business dealings with President Ruto.

Gachagua alleged that Chivayo had been used to move and hold money for the President, claims for which he did not provide evidence during his address.

"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 claimed.

"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," he further alleged.

Gachagua went on to claim that Chivayo was holding more than KSh1.5 trillion belonging to Ruto at the time of his death.

"The man has his money, over 1.5 trillion. The man is dead, his wife is dead, he doesn't know where to begin," Gachagua claimed.

The former Deputy President did not provide documentary evidence to support the claims, and Citizen Digital could not independently verify them.

Gachagua further sought to link Chivayo to an alleged scheme to interfere with the 2027 General Election, claiming the Zimbabwean businessman was involved in election technology arrangements.

"That guy is an expert in stealing elections, and he is the one who has been burglarising elections in Africa," Gachagua alleged.

He further claimed that Chivayo was to act as a local agent in an arrangement involving technology from a South Korean company, which he alleged was intended for use in Kenya's next election.

Gachagua claimed specifications for a tender had been tailored to favour the unnamed South Korean firm and alleged Chivayo was to serve as an intermediary.

"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 claimed.

He did not provide evidence linking Chivayo to the alleged election interference plan.

Chivayo, a prominent and politically connected Zimbabwean businessman, died alongside his wife Lucy Muteke and four other people after their helicopter crashed in the Marondera Rural area, east of Harare, on Wednesday. Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa subsequently confirmed his death.

Authorities in Zimbabwe are investigating the cause of the crash, with preliminary findings indicating that fuel spilled following impact before a fire broke out at the scene. The cause of the crash has not been established.

Chivayo was known for his political connections and had interacted publicly with several African leaders, including President Ruto.

Gachagua, meanwhile, suggested that Chivayo's death had left President Ruto frustrated, claiming the businessman was central to both the alleged financial dealings and the purported election plan.

"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," Gachagua said.Neither President Ruto nor his representatives had publicly responded to Gachagua's latest allegations at the time of publication.