Former President Mois florist Bishop David Kalua dies at 83

The man behind the fresh rose boutonnière that that always adorned the lapel of the late former president Daniel arap Moi‘s suits is dead.

Bishop David Kalua, who served at State House for over ten years, died Friday morning after suffering a heart attack while undergoing treatment at Mater Hospital.

His son, Dr. Isaac Kalua, the Green Africa Foundation founder and chairman Honda Kenya confirmed the elder Kalua’s demise.

“He had been admitted at the Mater Hospital for a week. He developed heart complications and was rushed here,” he said.

“The doctors fitted him with a pacemaker which was working well but unfortunately he suffered a heart attack this morning and sadly died.”

He leaves behind a wife, Deborah Kalua, four children; Isaac Kalua, John Kioli (chairman Kenya Planet Change Working Group and Executive Director Green Africa Foundation), Julia Kalua-Hicks (An American based hotelier) and Ann Ndinda Shivo (MD Teule Limited) and seven grandchildren.

Kalua, the founding Bishop of St. Stephen’s Ministry and also served as a lay leader and reverend of the Anglican Church, started out as a Prison’s Officer before he moved to State House as superintendent of gardens, state houses and lodges.

During an interview after the death of Kenya’s second president, Kalua said his responsibility at State House was to plant vegetables and flowers.

“President Moi found the flowers very attractive and ordered me to always cut a flower for him every day,” he reminisced.

Kalua also revealed that the flowers which he planted at the entrance of State House were always guarded to ensure that no damage came to them.

The vegetables he planted were the ones Mzee Moi would eat at State House: the former President was very particular about the food he ate.