Tanzania has often defied expectations when it comes to the origins of its leaders, who tend to emerge from unexpected places.
Kizimkazi, modest as it was, would play host to God’s larger plan for Tanzania’s history: producing a leader from a humble background, as was the case with her predecessors.
Samia’s journey from this small coastal community to the pinnacle of power in one of Africa’s most significant nations is a story of quiet determination, shattered glass ceilings and the navigation of profound national transition.
Born when Zanzibar was still a sultanate that united with Tanganyika four years later to form Tanzania, her upbringing instilled the values of education and hard work.
Her intellect shone early in local schools, setting her on a path beyond the shores of her village.
Her education spanned primary schools in Chwaka (Unguja), Ziwani (Pemba), and Mahonda (Unguja) between 1966 and 1972. She later attended Ng’ambo Secondary School (1973–1975) and Lumumba Secondary School (1976).
After finishing high school in 1977, she joined the civil service as a clerk in the Ministry of Planning and Development, grounding herself in governance from the outset.
Determined to advance, she balanced work and study, earning a Diploma in Public Administration from the Institute of Development Management (IDM) Mzumbe (1983–1986), followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Economics from the University of Manchester in 1994.
In 2015, she capped her academic journey with an MSc in Community Economic Development through a joint programme between the Open University of Tanzania and Southern New Hampshire University, underscoring a lifelong commitment to learning.
Her political career began in 2000 when she joined the ruling Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM). That same year she was elected to the Zanzibar House of Representatives through Special Seats and appointed Minister for Youth Employment, Women and Children Development by President Amani Abeid Karume, making her the only woman to hold a senior cabinet post at the time.
This trailblazing pattern of being the “first woman” would define her career. Re-elected in 2005, she became Zanzibar’s Minister for Tourism, Trade and Investment, serving until 2010.
Her influence expanded when President Jakaya Kikwete appointed her as Minister of State in the Vice-President’s Office (Union Matters), a position she held until 2015.
In 2014, she was elected Vice-Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly charged with drafting Tanzania’s new constitution, where her consensus-building skills came to the fore.
Her national profile rose dramatically in 2015 when CCM presidential candidate John Magufuli selected her as his running mate—the first woman in the party’s history to hold that position. Their landslide victory made her the country’s first female Vice-President.
While Magufuli rarely travelled abroad, Samia became the face of Tanzania on the international stage. She was re-nominated in 2020, and following another landslide win, began a second term.
Fate intervened in March 2021. On the 17th, she announced to the nation the sudden death of President Magufuli.
Two days later, she was sworn in as the sixth President of the United Republic of Tanzania and the country’s first female Head of State. She inherited a complex situation: a nation grappling with Covid-19, strained civic freedoms, and economic uncertainty.
President Samia immediately marked a change in leadership style. Her “quiet diplomacy” emphasised reconciliation, reforms, resilience, and rebuilding—the 4Rs. She established a scientific task force to guide the Covid-19 response, promoted testing, and was publicly vaccinated.
She lifted bans on media outlets, reinstated rights previously curtailed, and overturned the controversial policy barring pregnant schoolgirls from education.
Her authority within CCM was cemented when the party’s National Executive Committee elected her as Chairperson, making her the first woman to lead one of Africa’s oldest and most powerful political movements.
From the clerk’s desk in Zanzibar to the highest office in the land, Samia Suluhu Hassan’s rise has been marked by persistence and quiet transformation.
She now governs a nation at a crossroads, balancing reform with political realities, reopening Tanzania to the world while tackling long-standing domestic challenges.
The girl from Kizimkazi stands as a symbol of possibility, an embodiment of leadership forged in humility, shaped by resilience, and directed towards change.
Her story is far from over, but its foundations, rooted in the sandy shores of Zanzibar, remain a testament to what determination and vision can achieve.
Deus Bugaywa is a political analyst based in Dar es Salaam.
