By Zororai Nkomo
Tanzania’s First Gentleman, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, was buried in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar, on Monday evening, hours after his death from a heart condition.
Hassan died at about 8am on Monday while receiving treatment at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar, according to Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi.
His funeral was attended by senior government, political and religious leaders, with the funeral prayer led by Zanzibar Grand Mufti Sheikh Saleh Omar Kaabi.
The burial brought an end to a day of mourning in Tanzania following the announcement of the death of the man who became the country’s first First Gentleman when Samia assumed the presidency in 2021.
Ndejembi announced Hassan’s death and conveyed condolences to President Samia, her family, relatives, friends and the people of Tanzania.
Regional leaders also joined Tanzania in mourning.
Kenyan President William Ruto said he received the news with “deep sorrow”, describing Hassan as a lifelong companion to President Samia, a beloved father and a distinguished Tanzanian.
Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Burundi’s President Évariste Ndayishimiye also sent messages of condolence to the Tanzanian leader and her family.
Hassan, an agricultural academic and former agricultural officer, largely kept away from the political spotlight despite his wife’s rise to the presidency.
He married Samia in 1978, before she entered national politics, and the couple had four children — three sons and a daughter.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is also a politician and serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.
Hassan rarely appeared alongside President Samia at official events, maintaining a relatively private life throughout her political career.
