Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s husband, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, died on Monday while receiving treatment at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar. Vice‑President Deogratius Ndejembi announced the death, noting the First Gentleman had been battling a heart condition. Funeral arrangements are planned for Kizimkazi, a village on the semi‑autonomous island of Zanzibar.
Ameir was an agricultural academic who largely kept a low public profile. He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after President Samia took office in 2021 and is survived by four children, three sons and a daughter. Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.
The late First Gentleman was rarely photographed in public with the president, attending only occasionally at official events. He and President Samia married in 1978, before her entry into national politics.
President William Ruto of Kenya expressed deep sorrow at the news, saying the president has lost a lifelong companion and that Tanzania has lost a distinguished son. The announcement was shared on social media by Numbeo, posturing the death as a moment of national mourning.
