Dr David Silverstein, a U.S. Air Force veteran who became the personal doctor of former President Daniel arap Moi and treated other prominent figures including Nelson Mandela and Muammar Gaddafi, has died.
In a statement shared by Gideon Moi on September 13, the Moi family mourned Silverstein as the long-serving physician who cared for Mzee Moi with attention, empathy, and compassion.
“It is with deep sorrow that we mourn the passing of Dr. David Silverstein, the long-serving personal physician to the late retired President H.E. Mzee Daniel Arap Moi. Dr. Silverstein left a lasting impression on those he treated, and we witnessed firsthand his attention to detail and empathy,” he mourned.
Moi’s Family Mourns Dr David Silverstein
Silverstein was described as a doctor who treated Moi not merely as a client but as a human being whose health, dignity and wellbeing mattered deeply to him.
The family said they would remember his care and friendship with gratitude, and extended condolences to his family, led by his wife, Channa Commanday.
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“On behalf of the Moi family, I extend our heartfelt condolences to his family, led by his beloved wife, Channa Commanday. We are deeply grateful to them for allowing Dr. Silverstein to walk with Mzee Moi throughout his health journey. His care and friendship will always be remembered with gratitude,” he said.
Education and early life
Dr David Morton Silverstein was born in the United States and grew up in north Chicago in a religiously observant Jewish family. His maternal grandfather was Rabbi Moshe Z. Kahn, an Orthodox rabbinic scholar and author.
Silverstein earned his MD from the University of Chicago in 1967, graduating at about the age of 22. He later completed residency training in internal medicine and a cardiology fellowship at the University of Washington in Seattle, completing his specialist training in 1976.
He became a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians, reflecting his specialist training in cardiovascular and internal medicine.
Career in the US and move to Kenya
After completing his medical training, Silverstein served as a doctor in the US Air Force and was posted to an air base in Taiwan.
He later moved to Kenya in the 1970s and eventually made Nairobi his permanent home, spending more than five decades in the country.
At Kenyatta National Hospital, Silverstein helped establish and run Kenya’s first cardiac catheterization laboratory. He later headed the hospital’s cardiology unit and served as Chief Cardiothoracic Physician for the Government of Kenya.
He also maintained a private medical practice and worked for many years at The Nairobi Hospital
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Relationship with President Moi and VIP patients
Silverstein first treated Daniel Arap Moi in 1977, when Moi was Vice-President. He subsequently became Moi’s personal physician and served him for more than 40 years, until the former president’s death in February 2020.
His 2023 memoir, Heartbeat: An American Cardiologist in Kenya, details his medical career in Kenya, his relationship with Moi and his experiences during significant events in the country’s history.
Silverstein also treated other prominent figures, including former Attorney General Charles Njonjo, and was involved in the medical care of regional leaders such as former South African President Nelson Mandela during visits to Kenya.
Family and personal life
Silverstein was Jewish and remained active in Kenya’s Jewish community. He was involved in community activities and was described as an informal leader within the small Jewish community in Kenya.
His wife, Channa Silverstein, was also born in the United States. The couple met in Kenya and married in the 1990s. Silverstein wrote about how their relationship developed following the 1998 US Embassy bombing in Nairobi.
The couple raised their children in Nairobi, although publicly available profiles provide limited details about their names and professions.
Silverstein spent most of his professional life in Kenya after initially moving to the country in the 1970s, building a career that combined medical practice, public service, and cardiology.
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