Tanzania President Samia’s Husband Dies At 77

The husband of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, has died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Zanzibar.

Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi announced his death on Monday, saying the former First Gentleman had been suffering from a heart condition.

According to Ndejembi, Ameir died at 8:00 a.m. local time, equivalent to 6:00 a.m. GMT, at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar.

He said funeral arrangements were already underway in Kizimkazi, a village on Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous island.

Ameir, an agricultural academic, largely maintained a low public profile throughout his wife’s political career. He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after Samia assumed office as president in 2021.

Ndejembi, in announcing the death, expressed condolences to President Samia, Ameir’s family and friends.

Kenyan President William Ruto also expressed grief over the death, saying he received the news with “deep sorrow.”

Ruto said President Samia had lost “a lifelong companion,” while their children had lost a beloved father and Tanzania had lost “a distinguished son.”

Ameir rarely appeared publicly alongside President Samia and was only occasionally seen with her at official functions.

He married Samia in 1978, before she entered national politics. The couple had four children — three sons and a daughter.

Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is also active in politics and serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.