Mubayi belongs to the so-called first generation of sculptors from this country in southern Africa, which is known for its contemporary stone sculptures. He is famous for his finely polished, expressive stone sculptures depicting everyday people, as well as his witty baboon families.
Mubayi was born in 1942 in the Chihota Communal Lands near Marondera in Mashonaland East Province.
After leaving school, he worked as a tobacco sorter before moving to the capital Salisbury (now Harare) in 1966 to work at the Chibuku Brewery. He joined the Tengenenge Sculpture Community in 1967 as one of its first members and later worked at the Workshop School in Vukutu, Nyanga, which was founded by Frank McEwen, the first director of the National Gallery of Zimbabwe. His works have been exhibited all over the world and are in many art collections. Some of his outstanding works are on display at the Theiler Art Gallery in Brienz.