How Ruto, Chivayo’s final encounters displayed their close ties

Their last known meeting was a private three-hour dinner at State House, Nairobi, on September 9, 2026.

Zimbabwean Businessman Wicknell Chivayo and his Lucy Muteke with President William Ruto during the wedding engagement of Ruto's daughter, Charlene in Narok County.

Businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s final public encounters with President William Ruto have come under renewed scrutiny following his death in a helicopter crash in Zimbabwe.

A month earlier, the two were seen together at Ruto’s Kilgoris farm in Narok, where Chivayo attended the traditional engagement ceremony of the President’s daughter, Charlene Ruto. Ruto was later filmed personally driving him to a helipad, in a moment that went viral.

Tragically, Chivayo and his wife, Lucy Muteke, died on September 30, when their helicopter crashed in Marondera Rural, Zimbabwe.

Ruto mourned Chivayo as a “dear friend”, describing him as a man whose energy and conviction had touched many.

Source: Nation