Who Is Lewis Uriri, the Zimbabwean Lawyer Who Turned Down Chivayo’s KSh45 Million Gift?

Zimbabwean lawyer Advocate Dr Lewis Uriri has found himself at the centre of widespread attention after declining a brand-new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography valued at about KSh32 million, alongside cash gifts totalling approximately KSh13 million, offered to him and his wife by businessman Wicknell Chivayo.

The extraordinary offer has thrust the Harare-based Senior Counsel into the spotlight beyond Zimbabwe’s legal circles, prompting renewed interest in the lawyer’s career and the high-profile cases he has handled over the years.

Uriri is a Zimbabwean advocate practising as a barrister at Zimbabwe’s independent referral Bar. He has chambers at The Temple Bar in Harare, where he serves as Head of Chambers.

He is also the founding President of the Zimbabwe Inns of Court, a professional body modelled on the traditional Inns of Court structure associated with legal advocacy.

His practice covers a broad range of areas, including investment law, commercial and corporate law, business transactions, dispute resolution, civil rights and liberties and constitutional litigation.

Uriri is also a member of the panel of arbitrators maintained by the Commercial Arbitration Centre in Harare and is one of Zimbabwe’s four designated representatives on the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), an institution established by the World Bank to facilitate the resolution of international investment disputes.

Uriri’s journey into law

Uriri began his legal career as an intern at Honey & Blanckenberg, one of Zimbabwe’s oldest established commercial and general-practice law firms.

He joined the firm as an associate in 2001 before becoming a partner in 2003.

During his time at the firm, he handled matters involving civil rights and liberties, commercial and corporate transactions, litigation, transnational disputes and alternative dispute resolution.

Uriri left Honey & Blanckenberg in August 2007 and began practising at Zimbabwe’s independent referral Bar the following month.

His career subsequently expanded into professional leadership within the country’s legal fraternity.

He served as secretary and later treasurer of the Advocates’ Chambers and was involved with the Bar Council and management executive committee of the Bar Association of Zimbabwe.

In 2013, he was part of the team that established The Chambers, where he later became founding Head of Chambers.

Four years later, in 2017, Uriri was again involved in efforts to internationalise Zimbabwe’s Bar through the establishment of the Zimbabwe Inns of Court, with The Temple Bar becoming its first set of Inns of Court.

A lawyer and legal educator

Uriri’s work extends beyond courtroom practice.

He is a former academic at the University of Zimbabwe, where he taught in both the Department of Private Law and the Department of Procedural Law.

He serves as chairperson of the Faculty of Advocacy Trainers of the Zimbabwe Council for Legal Education and is also a member of the Law Society of Zimbabwe Faculty of Advocacy Trainers, where he is involved in training other trainers.

Uriri is additionally listed among the editors of the Zimbabwe Law Reports and has affiliations with organisations including Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights and Advocates International.

His professional profile states that he has participated in proceedings in Zimbabwe, South Africa and the United Kingdom, as well as before regional and international tribunals.

Uriri’s high-profile courtroom work

Over the years, Uriri has been involved in several cases involving prominent Zimbabwean figures and politically sensitive disputes.

One of the most widely reported was the 2018 presidential election litigation involving then-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and opposition leader Nelson Chamisa.

Uriri was part of Mnangagwa’s legal team at the Constitutional Court during Chamisa’s challenge to the outcome of the presidential election.

His work has also extended into disputes involving Zimbabwe’s opposition politics.

Uriri represented Sengezo Tshabangu in litigation surrounding the controversial recall of opposition Members of Parliament and councillors linked to the Citizens Coalition for Change.

Tshabangu became a central figure in the recall saga after presenting himself as the CCC’s interim secretary-general, triggering a series of court battles over the legitimacy of the recalls.

Uriri was among the lawyers involved in the litigation.

The cases illustrate the range of political and constitutional disputes in which Uriri has been involved, although his wider practice also covers commercial litigation, investment law, corporate disputes, civil liberties and international arbitration.

His professional relationship with Chivayo

It is Uriri’s previous professional relationship with Chivayo that has now brought him into the spotlight.

On Monday, September 21, 2026, Chivayo announced that Uriri would receive a new 2026 Range Rover Sport Autobiography valued at US$250,000, equivalent to about KSh32 million.

He also offered US$50,000 (approximately KSh6.5 million) for fuel and another US$50,000 (approximately KSh6.5 million) for Uriri’s wife, whom he described as another senior lawyer.

The proposed package was therefore worth approximately KSh45 million.

Chivayo praised Uriri as a “Lawyer par excellence”, crediting him with brilliance, courage and commitment in handling his legal matters over the years.

But Uriri declined the offer.

Why Uriri rejected the KSh45 million package

In his response to Chivayo, Uriri said he and his wife had carefully considered the proposed gifts before deciding to decline the vehicle and both cash payments.

He explained that the announcement had come as a surprise because he and Chivayo had last spoken in June 2024.

Uriri further clarified that he had not undertaken any professional work for Chivayo since then and that the historical legal services referenced by the businessman had been performed in his professional capacity and paid for in full.

“The historical work to which your tribute refers was performed in my professional capacity and paid for in full,” Uriri said.

The lawyer said the size of the proposed gifts, their connection to previously completed professional services and the time that had elapsed since their last professional engagement required careful consideration.

He ultimately chose to preserve the professional boundaries he and his wife considered important, turning down a package worth approximately KSh45 million.