DAR ES SALAAM — Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan and the country’s first-ever First Gentleman, has died.
The death was announced on Monday, September 7, 2026, by Tanzania’s Vice President, Deogratius Ndejembi, who conveyed condolences to President Samia, the Hassan family, relatives, friends and Tanzanians.
According to the announcement reported by The Citizen, Mr. Ameir died at approximately 8:00am at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar, where he had been receiving treatment for a heart condition. Funeral arrangements are underway in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar.
A Private First Gentleman
Hafidh Ameir was an agriculturalist and academic who largely stayed away from the public spotlight despite his wife’s rise to the highest political office in Tanzania.
He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman when Samia Suluhu Hassan assumed the presidency in March 2021. The couple had been married since 1978 and had four children — three sons and one daughter. Tanzania’s official presidential biography confirms that President Samia and Mr. Ameir had four children.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is a politician in Zanzibar and serves in the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
Unlike many spouses of African heads of state, Mr. Ameir maintained a notably low public profile and rarely appeared at official functions, choosing instead to remain largely outside the political spotlight.
Funeral Arrangements Underway
Following the announcement of his death, funeral preparations are underway in Kizimkazi, President Samia’s home area in Zanzibar.
The death marks a deeply personal loss for President Samia and her family and comes as Tanzania continues to adjust to changes in its political leadership, including the recent appointment of Ndejembi as Vice President.
May Hafidh Ameir Hassan rest in peace.
