Hafidh Ameir Hassan, the husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the country’s first First Gentleman, has died while undergoing treatment in Zanzibar.
Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi announced the death on Monday, confirming that Ameir, who had been battling a heart condition, passed away at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital.
Funeral arrangements are underway in Kizimkazi, a village on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar. Ndejembi extended condolences to President Samia, as well as to Ameir’s family and friends, while leading public tributes to the late academic.
An agricultural scholar who preferred a low public profile, Ameir became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman when his wife assumed the presidency in 2021. He was rarely seen at official events alongside the president and largely stayed out of the political spotlight.
The couple married in 1978, long before Samia entered national politics. They had four children — three sons and a daughter. Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, currently serves as a member of Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.
