“I May Look Polite, But Things Get Done as I Say”: Inside Samia Suluhu Hassan’s Iron-Fist Rule in Tanzania

President Samia Suluhu Hassan, Tanzania’s first female leader, once embodied hope for a softer, more democratic era. Today, however, she faces mounting accusations of tightening her grip on power ahead of Wednesday’s election. The 65-year-old, known for her calm tone and modest demeanor, is now accused of leading one of the country’s most repressive crackdowns in years.

Born in Zanzibar in 1960, Hassan’s story is one of quiet ambition. The daughter of a schoolteacher and a homemaker, she once admitted to struggling in school before taking a clerical job at 17. She later worked her way up through the Zanzibar government, first as a development officer and later as a project manager with the UN’s World Food Programme. Her persistence opened doors into politics and by 2000, she was a member of Zanzibar’s House of Representatives.

Her career blossomed as she took on roles focusing on youth, women and trade. By 2010, she was in Tanzania’s National Assembly, where then-President Jakaya Kikwete appointed her Minister of State for Union Affairs. Her steady rise drew the attention of the late John Magufuli, who chose her as his running mate in 2015. Together, they won two elections; the 2020 one dogged by claims of electoral fraud.

Hassan’s global recognition came suddenly in March 2021, when she appeared on television in a black headscarf announcing Magufuli’s death. Her soft-spoken delivery contrasted sharply with his fiery, authoritarian style. At first, she appeared to break from his legacy, restoring media freedoms and lifting bans on opposition rallies.

However, that brief optimism has since faded. Amnesty International now describes a “wave of terror” marked by disappearances, arrests and killings targeting opposition voices. Insiders claim Hassan’s caution stems from paranoia and a struggle to prove herself in a patriarchal system dominated by Magufuli’s allies.

“She knew the government she inherited didn’t trust her,” a former advisor revealed. “She was fighting to survive.”

Still, Samia remains unapologetic. “I may look polite,” she once declared, “but things get done as I say.” Her quiet confidence may have turned into her sharpest political weapon and perhaps Tanzania’s deepest concern.