Tanzania has been plunged into mourning after President Samia Suluhu Hassan lost her husband of nearly five decades, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, raising the curtain on a deeply personal loss for one of East Africa’s most powerful leaders.
Hafidh Ameir Hassan, the husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the country’s first First Gentleman, has died at a hospital in Zanzibar.
Ameir died at around 8 a.m. on Monday, September 7, 2026, while receiving treatment for a heart condition, according to Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi, who announced his death.
His death marks the end of a marriage to President Samia that lasted 48 years.
The couple married in 1978, long before Samia rose to the highest office in Tanzania, and went on to have four children,three sons and a daughter. Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, followed her parents into public service and is a politician in Zanzibar.
Unlike many spouses of African political leaders, Ameir largely stayed away from the political spotlight. He was known primarily for his work in agriculture and academia and maintained a relatively private life despite his wife’s rapidly rising political career.
That changed in March 2021 when Samia became Tanzania’s president following the death of President John Magufuli. Ameir consequently became Tanzania’s first-ever First Gentleman.
Despite holding the unprecedented title, he continued to maintain a low-key public presence, supporting his wife largely from behind the scenes rather than seeking political prominence.
His death now leaves President Samia mourning the man who had been her husband and companion since she was a young woman, while Tanzania mourns a figure who occupied a unique place in the country’s political history.
Funeral arrangements are underway in Zanzibar, the family’s home region.
