The husband of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, has died while undergoing treatment for a heart condition in Zanzibar, the government announced Monday.
Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi confirmed the death in a televised address and conveyed condolences to the First Family. He said burial arrangements are being made in Zanzibar, the couple’s native semiautonomous archipelago and a key part of the United Republic of Tanzania.
Hafidh Ameir Hassan, a retired civil servant and agricultural officer from Zanzibar, largely stayed out of politics. He became Tanzania’s first “First Gentleman” in March 2021 when his wife was sworn in following the death of President John Magufuli.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan, 65, made history as Tanzania’s first female president and the first president from Zanzibar since the 1995 union constitution. Known for her consensus style, she reversed some of Magufuli’s hardline COVID-19 and media policies and focused on reopening Tanzania’s economy to foreign investment.
The couple were married for more than 40 years. They have four children: three sons and a daughter, Mwanu Hassan, who is a member of parliament for Makunduchi in Zanzibar. Mwanu has often been described as her mother’s closest political confidante.
Hafidh was frequently seen at state functions in Zanzibar but rarely made public statements. Officials said he had been receiving treatment for a heart condition for several months prior to his death.
President Hassan is serving a second term after winning the October 2025 general election with more than 97% of the vote. The election was widely criticized after candidates from the two main opposition parties, CHADEMA and ACT-Wazalendo, were barred from running. Human rights groups and Western observers called the poll “neither free nor fair.”
Despite the controversy, Hassan has consolidated power and positioned Tanzania as a regional mediator. She has pushed infrastructure projects including the Standard Gauge Railway to Rwanda and Burundi, and expanded port capacity in Dar es Salaam to serve landlocked neighbours.
Tanzania’s union structure makes Zanzibar politically sensitive. The islands have their own president and parliament, and leaders from Zanzibar alternating with mainlanders in the presidency has been an unwritten norm. Hassan’s roots in Zanzibar were key to maintaining that balance.
Leaders across East Africa sent condolences.
Kenyan President William Ruto wrote: “President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son.”
Burundi’s President Evariste Ndayishimiye also sent condolences to President Hassan and the people of Tanzania, calling Hafidh “a man of humility and family values.”
The East African Community and African Union are expected to send delegations for the burial in Zanzibar.
The government has declared three days of national mourning. Flags will fly at half-mast.