Samia Hassan: The Woman Standing To Become Tanzania’s President

Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania on Wednesday announced the demise of her boss and president, John Pombe Magufuli.

She is expected to be sworn in on Thursday to complete late Magufuli’s second term that began last year.

Samia Suluhu Hassan was born on January 27, 1960 at Sultanate of Zanzibar. She will make history as the first female president in East Africa if sworn in on Thursday.

Hassan attended different schools. She started from Zanzibar Institute of Financial Administration, where she studied Statistics, Mzumbe University, the Institute of Management for Leaders, Hyderabad in India and University of Manchester.

She was however elected as a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives for Special Seat in 2000.

Later Samia Hassan became a member of the National Assembly after a landslide win in 2010 elections as the lawmaker representing Makunduchi constituency.

Former President Jakaya Kikwete appointed her the Minister of State for Union matters for the office of the Vice President in 2014. She was also elected the Vice chairperson for the Constitutional Assembly.

She became the first female candidate of the ruling party in Tanzania when Magufuli picked her as his running mate ahead of the country’s general elections.

S.S. Hassan is the second female vice-president in East Africa after Uganda’s Specioza N. Wandira who was in office from 1994 to 2003.

Samia S. Hassan is married to Hafidh Ameir and their marriage is blessed with three sons and a daughter.