Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has d!ed.
He died today, September 9, while undergoing treatment in a hospital in Zanzibar, the country’s vice president said.
Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi said he had been suffering from a heart condition.
Ndejembi added that funeral arrangements are under way in Kizimkazi, a village on the country’s 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.
In his announcement, Ndejembi said Ameir d!ed at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Monday at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital.
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 a politician who currently serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly.
Kenyan President William Ruto expressed sorrow on behalf of his government and people. “President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” he wrote.
Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye also sent condolences to President Hassan and the people of Tanzania.
On early hour of Monday while being treated in hospital in Zanzibar, Tanzanian president Mrs Samia Hassan husband died an official said.
Hassan became leader in 2021 after the death of authoritarian John Magufuli and swept a national election last year with 98 per cent, in a vote that was criticised by international observers following the deadly repression of protests.
Hafidh Ameir Hassan, 77, died early on Monday in Mzena Hospital in Zanzibar, “where he was receiving treatment for a heart condition”, according to vice president Deogratius Ndejembi.
In a short clip shared on the Tanzanian presidency’s X account, Ndejembi extended his condolences and added that funeral preparations were under way in southern Kizimkazi.
