Wicknell Chivayo

Wicknell Munodaani Chivayo (born 22 November 1980), also known as Sir Wicknell, is a Zimbabwean businessman and the founder and managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe (Private) Limited. He is known for his involvement in government tenders, his close public association with President Emmerson Mnangagwa and ZANU-PF, and a series of legal proceedings relating to fraud and money laundering allegations.

Intratrek Zimbabwe was awarded a contract in 2015 to construct a 100-megawatt solar power plant in Gwanda, for which it received an advance payment of US$5 million from the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC) without carrying out substantive work on the project. Chivayo faced multiple rounds of criminal prosecution over the advance payment, and was ultimately acquitted in 2024.

In 2024, leaked audio recordings linked him to a US$100 million contract for the supply of election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC). The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) investigated and announced in December 2025 that it had found no evidence directly linking Chivayo to the transaction. He left school in 1996 and worked as a wages clerk at a local bus company before becoming involved in illegal foreign currency exchange at the Union Avenue Flea Market (now Kwame Nkrumah Avenue) in Harare. Career Business Intratrek Zimbabwe Chivayo is the founder and managing director of Intratrek Zimbabwe (Private) Limited, a company that has secured government contracts in the energy and infrastructure sectors. He has also been associated with IMC Communications, a telecommunications company.

ZEC election materials contract In 2024, leaked audio recordings linked Chivayo, along with associates Mike Chimombe and Moses Mpofu, to a US$100 million contract awarded to supply election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC) ahead of the 2023 Zimbabwean general election. The ZACC investigated and announced in December 2025 that no evidence had been found directly implicating Chivayo in the transaction.

The Prosecutor General appealed the acquittal. In June 2020, the Supreme Court of Zimbabwe reversed the High Court ruling and ordered that Chivayo stand trial. Following subsequent proceedings at the magistrate court, Chivayo was again acquitted in 2024, with the court ruling that the state had failed to establish a prima facie case. A separate charge of bribing former ZPC board chairman Stanley Kazhanje with US$10,000 to influence the tender award was also dismissed. In March 2025, Energy Minister July Moyo announced that the government was reviewing the Gwanda contract with Intratrek with a view to reviving the project under revised terms and updated technical specifications. Chivayo was separately acquitted of fraud charges he faced jointly with musician Genius Kadungure, relating to approximately R1.5 million allegedly defrauded from Kadoma miners and ZANU-PF MP Dexter Nduna. Political associations Chivayo is a publicly declared supporter of ZANU-PF and has stated his backing for President Emmerson Mnangagwa, including publicly endorsing calls for Mnangagwa to serve beyond constitutional term limits.

In January 2025, Chivayo publicly criticised Acting President Constantino Chiwenga, describing him as a "failed politician" following Chiwenga's public remarks on corruption within ZANU-PF.

In February 2025, Chivayo was reported to have developed close ties with Kenyan President William Ruto, with media reports describing him as a frequent presence within the president's circle and noting his growing connections to the Kenyan presidency.

In June 2026, Chivayo's company, IMC Construction Kenya, secured a stake in the proposed US$2.9 billion expansion of Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) after being included as a joint-venture partner by a Chinese consortium led by China Communications Construction Company. Public gifts and spending Chivayo is publicly known for high-value gifts made to musicians, journalists, sports organisations, and security forces. An investigation by Zimbabwean media reported that he spent over US$9.3 million on luxury cars and gifts within a twelve-month period.

Reported gifts include a 2025 Toyota Land Cruiser VXR and US$100,000 in cash to broadcaster Reuben Barwe in May 2025; a 2025 Range Rover Autobiography and US$150,000 in cash to musician Jah Prayzah in May 2025; vehicles totalling R7.2 million to Zimbabwe Football Association president Nqobile Magwizi across two occasions in 2025 and 2026; R10.4 million and a bus to Highlanders F.C. ahead of the 2026 season; and 20 luxury vehicles and US$2 million to the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, Zimbabwe Republic Police, and Zimbabwe Prisons Service in December 2025. Personal life Chivayo paid lobola for Sonja Madzikanda in July 2017 and held a formal wedding ceremony in December 2017, with the bride price reported as US$50,000. The couple divorced in 2024. Chivayo stated that the primary reason was irreconcilable tensions between Madzikanda and his family, and that he continues to financially support his former wife and their two children.

In March 2025, Chivayo married Lucy Muteke. The couple held traditional and religious wedding ceremonies, including a celebration within the Johane Masowe eChishanu congregation.