Tanzania is in mourning following the death of Hafidh Ameir Hassan, the husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who passed away on Monday morning while receiving treatment for a heart condition at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar. He was 69.
Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi announced his death to the nation, confirming that Mr Ameir died at 8:00 am local time. Funeral arrangements were swiftly made, and he was buried later that evening at his family’s residence in Kizimkazi, a village on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.
A life away from the spotlight
Mr Ameir, a retired agricultural academic and agricultural officer from Zanzibar, became a historic figure in March 2021 when his wife assumed the presidency following the death of President John Magufuli, becoming the country’s first-ever First Gentleman.
Despite his unique place in Tanzania’s political history, Mr Ameir maintained a remarkably low public profile throughout his life and rarely appeared alongside the president at official functions. The separation from politics defined much of his public identity; unlike presidential spouses who frequently become prominent figures in their own right, he generally remained outside the political limelight.
His career was built in agriculture and academia. He worked as a teacher and agricultural instructor, studied agriculture in Sri Lanka, and pursued a master’s degree in agricultural machinery engineering in Britain before retiring from the Ministry of Agriculture in 2005.
A marriage spanning decades
Mr Ameir married Samia Suluhu in 1978, long before she entered national politics. Their marriage lasted more than four decades as she progressed through Tanzania’s political system, from local leadership to becoming vice-president and eventually the country’s first female head of state.
The couple had four children—three sons and a daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, who has followed her mother into politics and serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly.
Regional leaders pay tribute
News of his passing prompted an outpouring of condolences from across the region. Kenyan President William Ruto said he received the news with “deep sorrow,” describing Mr Ameir as President Samia’s “lifelong companion” and “a distinguished son of Tanzania”.
Zambia’s President Hakainde Hichilema expressed solidarity with Tanzania’s first family, while Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye prayed for the president and her family to have “comfort and strength in this difficult moment”.
