The husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, has died at the age of 76 while receiving treatment at a hospital in Zanzibar.
Tanzania’s Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi announced his death, saying the former First Gentleman had been battling a heart condition.
Ameir died at about 8 a.m. local time on Monday at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar.
Funeral arrangements are underway in Kizimkazi, a village on Zanzibar, where the family is expected to receive mourners.
An agricultural academic, Ameir largely maintained a low public profile throughout his wife’s political career. He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman in 2021, following Samia Suluhu Hassan’s assumption of the presidency.
Tributes have since poured in from across East and Southern Africa.
Kenyan President William Ruto, Zambia’s Hakainde Hichilema and Burundi’s Évariste Ndayishimiye expressed condolences to President Samia, her family and the people of Tanzania.
Ameir married Samia in 1978, years before she entered national politics. The couple had four children — three sons and a daughter.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is also involved in politics and serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.
Despite his position as First Gentleman, Ameir largely stayed away from the political spotlight, making only occasional appearances alongside President Samia at official functions.
His death marks a personal loss for President Samia and her family, as Tanzania mourns a man who remained largely behind the scenes during his wife’s rise to the highest office in the country.
