Dr David Silverstein, a pioneering cardiologist and long-serving personal physician to former President Daniel arap Moi, has died.
Silverstein’s family has confirmed his death today, September 13, 2026.
Silverstein was regarded as one of the pioneers of cardiology in Kenya and played a key role in establishing the country’s first cardiac catheterisation laboratory at Kenyatta National Hospital.
He became President Moi’s personal physician in 1983, a position he held for decades, accompanying the former president on several local and international engagements and overseeing his medical care.
Silverstein trained at the University of Chicago Medical School before moving to Kenya, where he built a distinguished career as a senior heart specialist, including at Nairobi Hospital and Jalaram Medical Services.
He later chronicled his experiences as a physician in Kenya and his years caring for President Moi in his memoir, Heartbeat: An American Cardiologist in Kenya.
He is remembered by colleagues as a pioneer who helped shape modern cardiology in Kenya.
