The Kenya Medical Association (KMA) has mourned pioneering cardiologist Dr David Silverstein, who died on Sunday aged 82, describing him as a physician whose contribution helped shape modern cardiac care in Kenya.
Silverstein died on September 13, 2026, after more than five decades of medical practice in Kenya. Reports confirming his death said the cause had not been publicly disclosed.
In a statement, KMA President Dr Ibrahim Matende described Silverstein's death as a major loss to the medical fraternity and the country.
Silverstein, an American-born cardiologist trained at the University of Chicago, arrived in Kenya in 1974 after completing his cardiology fellowship in Seattle. He had initially expected to spend only a short period in the country, but eventually made Kenya his home and built a medical career spanning more than five decades.
At Kenyatta National Hospital, he helped establish Kenya's first cardiac catheterisation laboratory before heading the hospital's cardiology unit.
He also taught at the University of Nairobi Medical School, helping train generations of doctors who joined the profession after independence.
KMA said his contribution extended beyond specialist medicine, describing him as a physician who believed doctors should also take leadership roles.
“His was a life of many firsts: since the 1970s, he played a key role in Kenya's medical space, both in the public and private sectors, and he helped establish the country's first cardiac catheterization laboratory at Kenyatta National Hospital, ushering in the era of modern heart care in Kenya. His practice is deeply intertwined with Kenya's history and medical progression.”
Silverstein became particularly prominent through his long association with former President Daniel arap Moi.
He first treated Moi in 1977, when Moi was serving as vice-president, and was later appointed his personal physician in 1983. Silverstein remained in that role for more than 40 years, accompanying Moi on foreign trips and overseeing his medical care until the former president died in February 2020.
Accounts of their relationship describe Moi as a patient who followed Silverstein's medical advice. During Moi's final years, Silverstein also led medical teams caring for him during hospital admissions and routine medical assessments. In 2019, for example, he was among the doctors overseeing Moi when the former president was admitted to Nairobi Hospital for continued monitoring and treatment.
KMA maintained that Silverstein's expertise also earned him the trust of other prominent personalities, including former Attorney-General Charles Njonjo and former South African President Nelson Mandela.
“Dr Silverstein served as personal physician to Kenya's second President, the late Daniel arap Moi, for more than forty years until the former President's passing. His skill earned the trust of many prominent figures, among them the late Charles Njonjo and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa. Yet those who knew him confirm he brought the same devotion to every patient he met.”
Silverstein documented his extraordinary career and experiences in Kenya in his 2023 memoir, Heartbeat: An American Cardiologist in Kenya. The 442-page book recounts his medical career, his relationship with Moi and his experiences during some of Kenya's most significant historical moments.
KMA said his death leaves behind decades of medical knowledge, mentorship and service.
“His passing is a great loss to the medical fraternity and to the nation. With him goes a lifetime of knowledge and experience that can never truly be replaced. And yet we give thanks: for all that he shared with us, for the doctors he shaped, the patients he healed, and the example of service he set across an illustrious lifetime.”
The association extended its condolences to Silverstein's family, friends, colleagues and former patients, saying his contribution would remain part of Kenya's medical history.