Hafidh Ameir Hassan, the husband of Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, has reportedly died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Zanzibar.
Hassan’s death was announced by the country’s Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi.
He disclosed that the First Gentleman had been suffering from a heart condition.
According to him, Ameir died at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Monday at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital in Zanzibar.
He added that funeral arrangements were underway in Kizimkazi, a village on the country’s semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.
Ndejembi extended his condolences to President Samia, as well as Ameir’s family and friends, while leading tributes to the late academic.
Ameir was an agricultural academic who largely maintained a low public profile. He became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after President Samia assumed office in 2021.
The First Gentleman rarely appeared in public alongside the president. He was only occasionally seen with her at official events.
He married Samia in 1978, before she entered national politics. The couple had four children – three sons and a daughter – together.
Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is also a politician who currently serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives in the National Assembly.
