Tinotenda Hove – Wicknell Chivayo, widely described as President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s right-hand man, has once again provoked public backlash after pompously announcing at the weekend another high-profile visit to Kenya, complete with glowing praise for President William Ruto, while Zimbabwe’s economic and social crises deepen back home.

In a lengthy and self-congratulatory post, Chivayo revealed that he paid what he called a “courtesy visit” to President Ruto at the State Lodge in Mount Kenya, portraying himself as a regular and favoured guest of the Kenyan leadership.

“Today was yet another pleasant occasion as I had the opportunity to pay a courtesy visit on His Excellency, President William Samoei Ruto,” Chivayo wrote, adding that he was “warmly received as usual.”

The post, dripping with flattery and capitalised superlatives, has been criticised as tone-deaf grandstanding by a politically connected businessman more interested in polishing his image abroad than addressing the suffering of ordinary Zimbabweans. Chivayo went on to heap praise on Ruto, describing him as a “humble and faith-driven leader whose vision for a modern Kenya is undeniably remarkable,” while extending New Year wishes to the Kenyan First Family.

What has angered many observers is Chivayo’s eagerness to associate himself with policy agendas and national programmes of a foreign country, despite holding no elected office there, while remaining silent on Zimbabwe’s own collapsing public services. He enthusiastically endorsed Kenya’s development plans, saying he was “excited by the President’s clear focus on delivering key national programmes meant to uplift ordinary citizens and accelerate economic transformation.”

In his post, Chivayo detailed Kenya’s “Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda,” listing priorities such as food security, affordable housing, universal healthcare, infrastructure expansion and youth employment.

Critics argue that the irony is glaring, given that Zimbabweans continue to face unemployment, failing hospitals, decaying infrastructure and persistent poverty under Mnangagwa’s administration, with Chivayo himself often cited as a beneficiary of elite connections.

Chivayo further inserted himself into Kenyan national politics by declaring, “As young African businessmen and citizens, we once again reaffirm our unrelenting support for President Ruto and his Government.” For many Zimbabweans, this statement reinforces perceptions of arrogance and misplaced loyalty, especially coming from a figure closely linked to controversial government contracts and unexplained wealth.

The post concludes with a call for citizens to “stand behind the Government and contribute meaningfully to national growth,” a message that has rung hollow for critics who accuse Chivayo and his political allies of thriving while the majority are pushed deeper into hardship.

As Zimbabwe battles inflation, currency instability and widespread disillusionment, Chivayo’s flashy foreign visits and effusive praise of other leaders are increasingly seen not as diplomacy or Pan-African solidarity, but as empty spectacle — a reminder of how far removed the political-business elite are from the daily realities faced by ordinary citizens.