The husband of Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Hafidh Ameir Hassan, has died while receiving treatment at a hospital in Zanzibar.

Vice-President Deogratius Ndejembi, who made the official announcement, said Ameir had been suffering from a heart condition.

Ndejembi added that funeral arrangements are under way in Kizimkazi, a village on the semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.

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.

In his announcement, Ndejembi said Ameir died at 08:00 local time (06:00 GMT) on Monday at the Emilio Mzena Memorial Hospital.

The vice-president led tributes as he conveyed his condolences to President Samia, as well as to Ameir’s family and friends.

Kenyan President William Ruto said he received the news of the passing with “deep sorrow”.

“President Samia has lost a lifelong companion, her children a beloved father, and Tanzania a distinguished son,” he wrote on social media.

The First Gentleman rarely appeared in public alongside the president and 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.

Their daughter, Wanu Hafidh Ameir, is also a politician and currently serves in Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.