Samia Suluhu Hassan makes history as she is sworn in as the new President of Tanzania
By Jeremiah Kaniampiha
Her Excellency Samia Hassan has this morning been sworn in to officially take over as the President of Tanzania following the death of President John Pombe Magufuli.
The swearing-in ceremony took place yesterday at 10am local time at State House, Dar-es-Salaam as per the early communication by the Director of State House Dar es salaam Gerson Msigwa.
Suluhu has become the sixth President of Tanzania and a first female President of the East African Nation and the second President to come from the country’s semi-autonomous island of Zanzibar.
The ceremony has been in line with the Tanzanian Constitution that requires the Vice-President to take over for the remaining term if the sitting president dies, resigns, or is indisposed.
Born in the semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar, Hassan studied economics in Britain, worked for the UN’s World Food Programme and then held various government posts prior to becoming Tanzania’s first female vice president in 2015.
Friday, March 19th, 2021 marked a new chapter of leadership in Tanzania as the first-ever female president, Samia Suluhu Hassan, took the oath of office.
The inauguration was witnessed by members of the cabinet and former presidents at the statehouse in Dar es Salaam.
The 61-year-old Hassan was Magufuli’s vice president, first elected with him in 2015 and re-elected last year. She will serve out the remaining four years of the late Magufuli’s term, which ends in October 2025.
Some Tanzanian citizens say Hassan’s new leadership could bring about positive changes to the country..
“We are praying [for] the best to her,” Joseph Aboubakar, who lives in Dar es Salaam, told the press. “Our mother has already taken the country’s leadership and we believe she will lead the country in a good direction.”
Aboubakar added that Hassan is not new to leadership, as she has been in a top position for more than five years.
Kyande Muro, a small kiosk owner in Dar es Salaam, said raising people’s incomes would be the best thing the new president could do, and that he would like the new president to attract more investment in the country so people in the streets can find jobs.
Some see Hassan’s presidency as challenging the stereotype that women cannot hold top leadership positions.