Renowned surgeon, Dr Loefler, passes on

By Alex Ndegwa - The Standard

Renowned surgeon and newspaper columnist, Dr Imre Loefler is dead.

Dr Loefler, 78, a columnist with The Standard, died on Sunday at his home in Kileleshwa, Nairobi, after battling with cancer for the last few years.

The Second World War veteran, who had a chequered career as a surgeon spanning over four decades, was an influential voice of surgery in Africa for many years.

He retired from Nairobi Hospital three years ago. Loefler had been a consultant surgeon at hospital since since 1975.

Apart from practicing medicine, Loefler was an accomplished author, a dedicated conservationist and a university lecturer. As a newspaper columnist, he was never shy to take controversial positions.

A former chairman of the East African Wildlife Society, Loefler was in 2005 declared the winner of Peter Jenkins Award for Conservation and Journalism in East Africa.

He is survived by a widow, Mrs Martha Okanga Loefler.