October 27, 2025
Tanzania’s President Samia Suluhu Hassan, a once soft-spoken and little-known politician who rose to power unexpectedly in 2021, is now being accused of presiding over one of the most repressive political environments in East Africa.
At 65, Hassan is seeking to consolidate her authority through a decisive victory in Wednesday’s general election — an exercise already clouded by allegations of intimidation, arrests, and manipulation of the political process.
From clerk to commander-in-chief
Born on January 27, 1960, in Zanzibar — a semi-autonomous archipelago and former hub of the slave and spice trades — Samia Suluhu’s rise is often described as extraordinary.
Her father was a schoolteacher, and her mother a housewife. By her own admission, she struggled academically and began working as a government clerk at age 17 before later pursuing higher education.
She went on to serve as a development officer in the Zanzibar government and later as a project manager with the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP). Her entry into politics came in 2000 when she was elected to the Zanzibar House of Representatives.
Her steady climb continued as she became Zanzibar’s minister for youth, women, and children, and later tourism and trade investment. In 2010, she crossed over to national politics, winning a seat in Tanzania’s National Assembly.
Then-President Jakaya Kikwete appointed her as minister of state for union affairs, a role that gave her rare exposure to mainland politics.
The Magufuli era: from deputy to successor
In 2015, Hassan’s political trajectory took a dramatic turn when she was picked as the running mate of John Pombe Magufuli, the no-nonsense president nicknamed “The Bulldozer.”
The unlikely pair won the election — and again in 2020 — though international observers reported widespread irregularities and voter suppression.
Few outside Tanzania had heard of Samia Suluhu Hassan until March 2021, when she appeared on national television, clad in a black headscarf, to announce Magufuli’s death after a brief illness.
Her calm, subdued tone contrasted sharply with Magufuli’s fiery and combative style.
In that moment, she became Tanzania’s first female president, inheriting a deeply divided nation and a ruling party dominated by Magufuli loyalists.
From reformer to ruler
Initially, Hassan appeared to chart a new course, easing media restrictions, freeing some political prisoners, and lifting the ban on opposition rallies.
Her gestures earned her praise at home and abroad, with many hailing the beginning of a new democratic chapter for Tanzania.
But that optimism proved short-lived.
Human rights groups, including Amnesty International, now accuse her government of orchestrating a “wave of terror” ahead of this week’s polls — citing cases of enforced disappearances, arbitrary arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings.
Opposition leaders have been jailed or barred from contesting, leaving Hassan with what critics describe as a “stage-managed election.”
A former presidential advisor, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals, told Mulembe Times that Hassan views her firm grip on power as a survival strategy in a system historically hostile to women.
“She sees this as necessary to cement her rule in a patriarchal society. When she took over, most of Magufuli’s men in intelligence and security didn’t trust her,” the former aide said.
“There was a lot of paranoia, and that paranoia has driven her to remove any sign of dissent.”
‘I may look polite, but things get done’
Despite the growing criticism, Hassan’s supporters point to her record as a determined, results-oriented leader who has stabilized Tanzania’s economy and expanded infrastructure projects.
She has often rejected portrayals of her as weak, insisting that quiet leadership can be just as effective as bold rhetoric.
“I may look polite and do not shout when speaking, but the most important thing is that everyone understands what I say — and things get done as I say,” she once remarked.
As the country heads to the ballot, the world watches closely to see whether Hassan’s pursuit of political dominance will secure her a legacy of progress — or deepen Tanzania’s slide into authoritarianism.
