Tanzania is mourning the death of Hafidh Ameir Hassan, husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who died at the age of 77 while receiving treatment in Zanzibar.

Vice President Deogratius Ndejembi announced that Hafidh died at 8:00am local time on Monday, September 7, at Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital, where he was being treated for a heart condition.

He was later buried at his family residence in Kizimkazi, Zanzibar.

Hafidh, an agricultural academic who largely kept a low public profile, became Tanzania’s first First Gentleman after his wife assumed the presidency in 2021.

He married Samia in 1978, before she entered national politics, and the couple had four children. Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is a politician serving in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.

Tributes have been pouring in from across Africa, with Kenyan President William Ruto, Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema and Burundian President Évariste Ndayishimiye expressing condolences to President Samia and her family.