DAR ES
SALAAM, Tanzania
After weeks of speculation over his whereabouts and health, it is now official, John Magufuli, the 5th President of the Republic of Tanzania is no more.
According
to an announcement made by Vice President Samia Hassan (pictured), Magufuli had
first been briefly admitted at the Jakaya Kikwete Cardiac Institute on March 6,
but was subsequently discharged.
But
he was rushed to hospital again on March 14 after feeling unwell.
His
death settles the rumors about his whereabouts, however, it also opens a new
chapter for a country that has never changed governments outside of elections.
According
to the Tanzanian Constitution, the Vice President now takes over the remainder
of the term.
With
just five months into their second term, it means Vice President Samia Hassan will become the first female President of Tanzania, and the first female Head
of State in the East African Community.
Samia was born on January 27, 1960 in the Sultanate of Zanzibar and completed her secondary education in 1977.
While
pursuing a number of short courses part-time, Samia was appointed as a clerk
in the office of the Ministry of Planning and Development.
During
her stint there, she graduated with an advanced diploma in Public
Administration from Mzumbe University and was almost immediately afterward
employed by the World Food Programme.
While
there she attended the University of Manchester and graduated with
a postgraduate diploma in Economics in 1994.
Samia first joined active politics in 2000 when she was elected to the Zanzibar House
of Representatives holding a special seat; upon which then Zanzibar President
Abeid Amani Karume appointed her to the Cabinet.
She
was re-appointed to the same seat 5 years later before she, in 2010, set foot
in the National Assembly by clinching the Makunduchi Parliamentary seat after
garnering over 80% of the votes.
Tanzania
President Jakaya Kikwete, then serving his second and final term, appointed her
the Minister for State Union Affairs before – in 2014 – she was tasked with
drafting the country’s new constitution as Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent
Assembly.
In
Tanzania’s next general elections in 2015, Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM)
presidential nominee, the late John Magufuli, picked her as his running
mate, making her the first female running mate in the dominant party’s history.
She, hence, made history by becoming Tanzania’s first female Vice President when Magufuli clinched the seat.
She
now becomes the country’s sixth President and first female President in
Tanzania and East Africa.
Samia married Hafidh Ameir, a retired agricultural officer, in 1978 and together they
have four children; three sons and a daughter.
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