NAIROBI — Former Kenyan Deputy President and Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Rigathi Gachagua has made explosive allegations that the late Zimbabwean businessman Wicknell Chivayo was involved in a plan to manipulate Kenya’s 2027 general election.

Gachagua made the claims during a town-hall community engagement in Marlborough, Massachusetts, United States, where he alleged that President William Ruto’s administration intended to use Chivayo as a local intermediary in a deal involving a South Korean technology company.

“That guy is an expert in stealing elections. So they had an arrangement with the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to introduce some technology from South Korea to manage the next elections,” Gachagua said.

He claimed the tender specifications were designed to benefit a specific South Korean company and that Chivayo was acting as its local representative.

“So the tender was floated. And the specs were tailor-made for that company in South Korea. So this Chivayo guy was a local agent for these fellows,” Gachagua said.

He further alleged that Chivayo was expected to play a role in a scheme to manipulate the 2027 vote.

“So this is a man he wants to use to steal the vote. The guy is dead. The man is stuck. He doesn’t know where to begin. So, that is why he’s in such a bad mood,” he said.

Gachagua’s allegations come amid his ongoing criticism of the IEBC’s procurement of an Integrated Elections Management System ahead of the August 10, 2027, General Election.

In August, Gachagua questioned the transparency of the tender process, alleging that its specifications could favour a South Korean supplier.

The IEBC stated that the procurement process was still in its early stages and that no supplier had been chosen.

Gachagua has continued to challenge the procurement process, alleging that the specifications were tailored to a particular company.

The allegations have renewed scrutiny of Chivayo’s previous links to election-related procurement.

During Zimbabwe’s 2023 elections, Chivayo became associated with a controversial deal involving South African company Ren-Form CC, which supplied election materials to the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission (ZEC).

Investigative reports linked Chivayo and his associates to Ren-Form and raised questions over the procurement process and pricing of electoral materials.

ZEC maintained that it followed the required procurement procedures, while Chivayo denied wrongdoing.

The controversy resurfaced in Namibia in 2024 after the Electoral Commission of Namibia selected Ren-Form to print ballot papers for that year’s presidential and National Assembly elections.

Several Namibian opposition parties raised objections, questioning the decision because of the company’s reported links to the Zimbabwe procurement controversy.

Gachagua’s latest allegations have also drawn attention to Chivayo’s highly publicised relationship with President Ruto.

The Zimbabwean businessman frequently shared photographs and videos of his encounters with the Kenyan president, including private engagements and visits to State House.

Ruto described Chivayo as a close friend, saying he would remember him for his friendship, energy and belief in Africa’s potential.

“I will remember him for his friendship, his energy and his deep conviction in the possibilities of our continent,” Ruto said.

Chivayo, his wife Lucy Muteke and three others died when their helicopter crashed at Kudenga Farm in the Marondera Rural area on Wednesday, September 30.