Tanzania mourns First Gentleman as Hafidh Ameir Hassan passes away

Mon Sep 07 2026 13:43:39 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

The husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan dies while receiving treatment in Zanzibar.

Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, has died after a heart condition during treatment at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar. Vice‑President Deogratius Ndejembi announced the loss, stating funeral arrangements are underway in Kizimkazi village. The First Gentleman, a former agricultural academic, was the country’s first First Gentleman since the president took office in 2021. International leaders, including Kenya’s President William Ruto, expressed deep sorrow at the loss. The funeral will honour the man who quietly supported his wife’s historic presidency.

Tanzania mourns First Gentleman as Hafidh Ameir Hassan passes away

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President Samia Suluhu Hassan wearing a maroon hijab and black‑rimmed glasses — The Tanzanian president's husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, kept a low profile and was rarely seen in public.

Vice‑President Deogratius Ndejembi announced that Hafidh Ameir Hassan died at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) Monday while under treatment at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar.

The First Gentleman, an agricultural academic, became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after President Samia took office in 2021 and remained largely out of the public eye.

Funeral arrangements are under way in Kizimkazi village on Zanzibar’s semi‑autonomous island, as the nation paid tribute to the life and legacy of the husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan.

International leaders expressed sorrow: Kenya’s President William Ruto wrote on social media, “President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son.”

The couple, married in 1978, had four children—three sons and a daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir—who serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly.

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