Samia Suluhu Hassan (‘Mama Samia’) – President of Tanzania
Tanzania is a country with a colourful history. Situated in the Great Lakes Region, it arose from the merging of mainland Tanganyika with the island of Zanzibar, and shares borders with Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. It has a population of roughly 68 million.
The two components had different antecedents. Tanganyika was taken over by the British from the brutally governed German East Africa in the aftermath of World War 1, while the archipelago of Zanzibar was an area of overweening Arab influence under the suzerainty of the Sultan of Oman, who enslaved virtually the entire indigenous African population.
For the indigenous population of Zanzibar, history came full circle in 1964 when the Sultan of Zanzibar and his Arab government were overthrown in a violent uprising tagged the Zanzibar Revolution. Around one quarter of the Arab population were massacred, ending two and a half centuries of oppression.
Tanganyika achieved independence from British colonial rule in 1961. Julius Nyerere’s Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) transformed itself into a political party which became a dominant force in the country. One year later, the nation became a republic, with Nyerere as its President.
The Zanzibar Revolution, and the subsequent merger of the two territories, took place a further two years down the line.
Tanzania was essentially a One-Party state under Nyerere’s firm, patriarchal grasp. With a diverse population speaking 130 languages, he strove to weld the nation together with a common identity. His idea of a home-grown, community-centred Socialism, which he termed Ujamaa and his Non-Aligned Foreign Policy enabled the young nation to have beneficial relationships with world powers across the divisions of the Cold War.
In 1992, through the Constitutional Amendment, the country changed from a One-Party state into a Multi-Party democracy.
Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM, ‘The Party of the Revolution’) became the dominant party in the land. It has grown into one of the longest-ruling political parties in Africa, producing all the country’s six presidents – Julius Nyerere (1962-1985), Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1985-1995), Benjamin Mkapa (1995-2005), Jakaya Kikwete (2005-2015) and the populist John Magafuli (2015-2021).
For her part, Samia Hassan Suluhu has been in power since Magufuli’s death in 2021, ironically, though officially denied, possibly from COVID-19, an illness he denied and trivialised in his country.
Suluhu, his Vice President, stepped in to complete his presidential term. In 2025, she contested the election in her own right. She won by a landslide – 97%, according to the Electoral Committee.
Unfortunately, by the time of the 2025 election, the major opposition party had been proscribed, and its leader was in prison, facing a charge of Treason. Many Tanzanians – some authorities put the figure at more than a thousand – lost their lives in election-related violence subsequently, many of them at the hands of security forces. International Observers, including the African Union Observer Team, queried whether the election was indeed ‘free and fair’.
Samia broke a thick glass ceiling by becoming the first woman and only the second Zanzibari to attain the Presidency of her country. For many who were interested in a modernised, youthful Africa where females played a prominent role in fostering a new spirit in international relations and joined the world in tackling such issues as Climate Change and conflict resolution, Samia’s arrival on the world scene was a breath of fresh air.
Sadly, her husband, Mr Hafidh Ameir Hassan, a man to whom she has been married since 1978, and with whom she had four grown-up children, died a few days ago after a brief illness. He has been buried at his family’s residence in Zanzibar. Condolences are still pouring in from all over the world.
Suluhu’s impact on her nation was immediate upon her assumption of office as President. This was in 2021, with COVID-19 still rampant. COVID-19 was real, she told her fellow countrymen, counteracting the denial of her predecessor. Vaccines were good and were to be used where available. She was photographed as she got vaccinated herself, a gesture which probably saved several lives, as many of her countrymen followed in her footsteps.
Suluhu was born in Zanzibar. Trained in Public Administration and Economics, she joined public service and politics. She ascended rapidly, getting elected to the National Assembly in 2010. Soon after, she was picked as Presidential running mate to John Magafuli. She became Vice President in 2015, and the duo were reelected in 2020.
As soon as she became President in her own right, Suluhu opened her country to trade and became a media face for its tourism. She articulated an internationalist vision. Only one year into office, she was listed among the 100 Most Influential People in the World by TIME magazine in 2022. Fondly called ‘Mama Samia’ by people around her, she used her soft-s mien kills and gentle mien to create an air of consultation and cooperation. Freedom of Speech was encouraged.
The elections of 2025 seemed to have brought about another persona the public had not seen before. The main opposition candidate, Tundu Lissu, was barred by the Electoral Commission and charged with treason. His party, ‘Chadema’ was barred from contesting.
Protests erupted. They were harshly put down by the military, allegedly using live ammunition, with many civilian deaths and injuries.
Almost a year since the elections, life goes on.
Perhaps Suluhu rationalised that she merely did what she had to do to survive and ‘carry on the good work’?
Mama Samia is personable and has good rapport with neighbouring leaders such as William Ruto. Her personal touch, grassroots development focus, and efforts on such issues as expanding the railways to improve the rural economy have raised tantalising new possibilities for progress in her country.
Who will lead for the remainder of the Suluhu Presidency – the gentle, conciliatory Mama Samia, or the lady with an iron fist, smashing opposition to smithereens?
The next few years will bring the answer to the people of Tanzania.
