Dr Dawa, wizard who treated us with a cool concoction, dies

Samson Kibelenge aka Dr Dawa prepares concoction ready to serve his clients. His family has said that he died of heart complications. [File, Standard]

He was not treated as a national hero and he was not the biggest name in the hospitality industry, but Sam Kivelenge aka Dr Dawa will go down in history as an icon, the man behind the world-famous Kenyan cocktail Dawa, which was invented at the Tamarind Group’s The Carnivore restaurant in the 80s.

Dawa, Kiswahili word for medicine, can pass as the most popular cocktail in Kenya and a common drink for tourists, most of whom would visit The Carnivore to have it.