Zim Top Lawyer Uriri Rejects Chivayo’s US$350,000 Range Rover and Cash Gifts
Advocate Dr. Lewis Uriri SC has declined Zimbabwe businessman Wicknell Chivayo’s US$250,000 Range Rover and cash gifts, citing legal ethics and professional independence.
Kwedu News 
Harare — One of Zimbabwe's Senior Counsels, Dr. Lewis Uriri, has publicly declined a lavish gift package worth US$350,000 from businessman Wicknell Chivayo, citing the need to protect professional independence and public confidence in the legal profession.
Chivayo announced the offer in a glowing social media tribute, describing Uriri as a “lawyer par excellence” and founder of the Zim Temple Bar chambers.
He directed the advocate to collect a brand-new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography valued at US$250,000, plus US$50,000 cash for fuel.
The businessman also offered Advocate Uriri’s wife, herself a senior lawyer, a further US$50,000 as a “handbag allowance.”
“Over the years, you have represented me with tremendous courage, commitment and professionalism,” Chivayo wrote, adding, “You make the necessary noise when it matters, you argue your cases fearlessly.”
Advocate Uriri responded within hours with a firm refusal.
“My wife and I have carefully considered your announcement and must respectfully decline the vehicle and both cash gifts,” he stated.
He clarified that the pair last spoke in June 2024 and that he had undertaken no professional work for Chivayo since then.
“The historical work to which your tribute refers was performed in my professional capacity and paid for in full. My remuneration was for services actually rendered,” he said.
Dr. Uriri stressed that Zimbabwe’s Legal Practitioners’ Code of Conduct, alongside International Bar Association principles, requires lawyers to safeguard integrity and independence.
“I consider it necessary to decline benefits that could reasonably create a perception of personal financial obligation extending beyond a concluded and fully remunerated professional engagement,” he said.
The decision comes as Uriri represents clients in a Constitutional Court challenge related to Constitutional Amendment No. 3.
Chivayo, known for high-profile gifts to public figures and churches, has previously drawn attention for similar gestures.
Dr. Uriri, who once represented President Emmerson Mnangagwa in the 2018 election petition, reiterated that the independence praised in the tribute remains a responsibility he must uphold.
