NAIROBI-(MaraviPost)-Kenyan President William Ruto says he has been saddened by the death of controversial Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo, describing him as a friend.
In a statement posted on X, Ruto said:
“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.
“Their sudden departure is a painful loss to their families, friends and all who knew them. Wicknell was a dear friend whose warmth touched many people. I will remember him for his friendship, his energy and his deep conviction in the possibilities of our continent.
“I convey my deepest condolences to the families of all those who lost their lives, to President Mnangagwa, the people of Zimbabwe and everyone mourning this tragic loss. May God grant Wicknell, Lucy and all those who perished eternal rest.”
Chivayo, his wife Lucy “Lulu” Muteke, whom he married in March last year, a bodyguard and two pilots died around 5pm on Wednesday when their helicopter crashed at Kudenga Farm, according to NewsHawks.
The Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) earlier confirmed an aircraft with six occupants had crashed in Marondera Rural at 1700 hours, saying the scene was being attended and more details would be released.
According to NewsHawks, police, relatives, friends, close associates and politicians, as well as funeral parlour services, gathered at Kudenga Farm after the crash. The scene was a hive of activity as police combed through the area and wreckage for remains, while funeral parlour services waited to carry the remains to the mortuary.
The NewsHawks crew reported that the crash site is 18km just after the railway line before Marondera to the right, about 88km from Harare. From Harare to the railway line before Marondera is about 70km, and from there to the scene is 18km.
Kudenga Farm, a diversified agricultural operation owned by Kudakwashe Kudenga in Marondera district, sits just off the Harare-Marondera highway on the way to Mutare.
Chivayo and his group were reportedly coming from Gandami Village in Chivhu, Mashonaland East Province, the ancestral and childhood village of the businessman, where he was building Kugara Huda Estate, a US$1 million luxurious rural mansion project in the Gandami (Wiltshire) area.
His family owns a 400-hectare farm in Chivhu, which he said was purchased by his grandfather in 1962. Chivayo previously defended the older structures on the farm from critics, saying they have deep sentimental value and function like a family museum.
He spent over US$500,000 securing the farm, fencing it, and purchasing machinery and trucks for his family and brothers.
Alongside his village mansion construction, Chivayo had pledged US$500,000 to upgrade and modernise Gandami Secondary School, Gandami Primary School, and Gandami Clinic, among other things.
He was known for donating millions in cash, cars and other things to people across the country in a project linked to the ruling ZANU PF party.
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