- He would tell his associates that when defending his clients, especially Pattni, he was willing to do all to serve them.
- He represented Pattni in the Sh5.8 billion Goldenberg case with gusto, and successfully managed to get the man out of Kamiti Maximum prison.
When Bernard Kalove served controversial businessman Kamlesh Pattni as his advocate during the Goldenberg scandal and related probes, he assumed a brotherly bien to the trader, and risked running foul of the regulations of his professional body LSK.
He represented Pattni in the Sh5.8 billion Goldenberg case with gusto, and successfully managed to get the man out of Kamiti Maximum prison, where he had been incarcerated for almost a year.
The case had numerous outflows and some of them dragged Kalove along.
For example, in 2016, Kalove was forced to appear to testify before a judge David Maraga-led tribunal that sought to remove High Court judge John Mutava, and while at it, he almost perjured himself.
He had been asked how comes he had applied to certify a matter involving Pattni urgent when judges were in their August vacation, and Mutava, who at the time was in another division, was the one who heard and granted the order.
Kalove had filed the application in July 2012, but only sought to have it filed as urgent during the judges’ August vacation.
Coincidentally, Mutava was holding brief in the Civil Division of the High Court.
At the witness stand, the court records show, Kalove grudgingly admitted to not having filed a certificate of urgency when taken to task.
“I can even see that it was not among the prayers,” he said of the application during the testimony.
But sensing the blunders he was up to, he recanted his admission, saying that he must have sought to have the matter certified as urgent.
Maraga came to his rescue, directing that he stands down and resumes his testimony later to enable him cross-check the contents of the court file with his own on the matter.
In this instance, the man came close to misconducting himself and risked being dragged to the advocate disciplinary panel with the potential result of disbarment.
He would tell his associates that when defending his clients, especially Pattni, he was willing to do all to serve them.
Kalove died at a Nairobi hospital on August 20, 2023, after a short illness. His death was announced by the Law Society of Kenya Nairobi Branch Chairperson Helene Namisi.
"The LSK Nairobi Branch expresses its heartfelt condolences following the untimely death of Bernard Kalove of Kalove & Co. Advocates who passed away on August 20, 2023, and his body is being preserved at the Kenyatta University Mortuary," Namisi said.
Kalove was admitted to the Roll of Advocates in 1989 and specialised in criminal law.
He is survived by widow, Winfrida Karimi Mugambi and three children, Alfonce, Lee and Faithlyn.
Before opening his law firm, the father of three was employed in the law firm of Wetangula & Co. Advocates.
His friends describe him as mostly reserved and kept off lose talks and politics.
He would mostly retreat to his Kangundo rural home for his favourite drink and keeping silent while listening to what others had to say.
A requiem mass will be held on Tuesday at our Lady of Rosary Church –Kiambu Road.
Kalove will be laid to rest at his Kantafu home, off Kangundo Road, Matungulu constituency, Machakos county.