Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of Tanzanian President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, died on Monday while receiving treatment at a hospital in Zanzibar.
According to the BBC, Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi announced the death of Tanzania’s First Gentleman.
Ndejembi said Ameir died at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar at 8 a.m. local time on Monday following a cardiac problem.
The Vice-President added that authorities were making funeral arrangements in the Zanzibari village of Kizimkazi.
As an agricultural scholar, Ameir rarely accompanied his wife to formal events and maintained a modest public profile.
He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after Samia won the presidency in March 2021.
The couple married in 1978, before Samia entered national politics, and had four children: one daughter and three sons. Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.
AU sends condolences
In a statement posted on the AU website on Monday, September 7, Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, the chairperson of the African Union Commission, also offered condolences to Samia, her family, and the Tanzanian people.
AU statement said: “The Chairperson of the African Union (AU) Commission, H.E. Mahmoud Ali Youssouf, conveys his deepest condolences to H.E. Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, her family, and the people of Tanzania on the passing of her husband, H.E. Hafidh Ameir Hassan.”
It added: “H.E. Mr Youssouf extends his profound sympathy to H.E. President Samia and her family during this difficult period and wishes them strength, courage and solace.”
The AU Chairperson concluded, “He prays for the peaceful repose of the departed soul. Inalilahi wainailehi rajiun.”
Backstory…
Hassan’s passing comes after a series of protests erupted in Tanzania in 2025 over Samia’s re-election . The protests were not simply about the election result. They were largely driven by anger over what opposition groups and rights organisations described as an uneven electoral playing field.
When voting began on October 29, demonstrations erupted in Dar es Salaam and other cities.
Protesters challenged the credibility of the election, while some attacks targeted government property and police facilities. The government responded with security deployments, a nationwide curfew and restrictions on internet access.
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