Tanzania is mourning the passing of its first ever First Gentleman, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who died Monday morning while undergoing medical care in Zanzibar. The official announcement of his death was delivered by Tanzanian Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi, who confirmed that Ameir had long been managing a chronic heart condition.
According to Ndejembi’s statement, Ameir passed away at 8 a.m. local time (6 a.m. GMT) at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital located in Zanzibar. Funeral preparations are currently underway in Kizimkazi, a coastal village on Zanzibar, Tanzania’s semi-autonomous archipelago.
Before his wife assumed the presidency in 2021 following the death of predecessor John Magufuli, Ameir built his career as an agricultural academic, and maintained an intentionally low public profile throughout his wife’s political rise. That reserved approach continued after he became the country’s first First Gentleman; he rarely appeared at public events alongside President Hassan, and only made occasional cameos at official state functions.
Ameir and President Samia Suluhu Hassan wed in 1978, four years before she launched her career in national Tanzanian politics. The couple shared four children together: three sons and one daughter. Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, has followed her mother into public service, and currently holds a seat in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives, part of Tanzania’s National Assembly.
In the wake of the announcement, Vice-President Ndejembi led national tributes, extending formal condolences to President Hassan, the entire Ameir family, and his close friends and colleagues. International condolences have also poured in from across the African continent: Kenyan President William Ruto shared his reaction on social media, writing that he learned of the news with deep sorrow.
“President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” Ruto’s statement read.
As of Monday, the Tanzanian presidency has not yet issued an additional public statement on Ameir’s passing beyond the official announcement from the vice-president’s office.