President Ruto leads Kenyans in mourning Hafidh Ameir

Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan spouse Hafidh Ameir Hassan. [Courtesy]

Kenyan leaders have joined Tanzanians in mourning Hafidh Ameir Hassan, the husband of President Samia Suluhu Hassan, with President William Ruto describing his death as a profound loss to the Tanzanian leader, her family and the nation.

In a condolence message issued on Monday, Ruto said he had received the news with “deep sorrow” and conveyed his sympathies on behalf of the Government and people of Kenya, First Lady Rachel Ruto, his family and himself.

“President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” Ruto said.

He assured Tanzania of Kenya’s solidarity during the mourning period.

“Kenya stands with our Tanzanian brothers and sisters in this moment of grief,” Ruto said, while praying for God to comfort President Samia and her family and grant Ameir eternal rest.

Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka also expressed condolences, describing Ameir’s death as a profound personal loss for the Hassan family.

“On behalf of the Wiper Patriotic Front, and Azimio La Umoja One Kenya Coalition, and on my own behalf, I extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to you, Your Excellency, and to the entire Hassan family,” Musyoka said.

He noted the close historical and social ties between Kenya and Tanzania, saying the two countries remain “bound by history and shared destiny.”

Mining Cabinet Secretary Ali Hassan Joho also mourned Ameir, offering prayers for President Samia, her children and the people of Tanzania.

“Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un,” Joho said, expressing profound sorrow over the death.

Joho described Ameir as a man who lived with “dignity, humility, and steadfastness,” and praised his role in supporting his family.

“The loss of a life partner and a companion, is a wound no words can fully mend,” Joho said.

He prayed that Allah forgive Ameir’s shortcomings, grant him Jannah Firdaus and give his family strength and patience during the mourning period.

Who was Hafidh Ameir?

Ameir was born around 1960 in Zanzibar and married Samia Suluhu Hassan in 1978, when she was 18 years old. The couple had four children—three sons and a daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, who is a politician serving in the Zanzibar House of Representatives.

Ameir worked in agriculture, serving as an agricultural academic, officer and public servant before retiring from active government service.

Despite being married to one of Tanzania’s most prominent political figures, Ameir largely maintained a low public profile. He rarely attended major political events or gave public interviews, preferring a private family life.

His public role changed after Samia became President of Tanzania in March 2021. He became the country’s first male presidential spouse, a largely ceremonial position that placed him in the public spotlight while he continued to maintain a relatively quiet profile.