Retired President Ali Hassan Mwinyi who died in Dar-es-salaam this week, will be buried in Zanzibar on Saturday, February 2, 2024, with the state house declaring a seven-day period of mourning at National level.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan on announcing the sad news over the state television said the late Mwinyi was suffering from lung cancer and succumbed to death while undergoing treatment in hospital on Thursday evening of February 29, 2024.
The late Mwinyi was previously hospitalized in London when his condition worsened in November last year 2023.
On May 8, 2024 Mzee Mwinyi would have reached 99 years of age, unfortunately he passed on earlier.
He leaves a yet to be broken record of being the most democratic head of state to ever preside in East Africa.
He is the father of the current President of Zanzibar Dr Hussein Ali Mwinyi.
Ali Hassan Mwinyi succeeded Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere in November 1985 becoming the second president of Tanzania who opened doors to renewed investments after two decades of his predecessor’s attempted socialism rule which stifled the private sector.
Mwinyi also flung doors open to the freedom of press allowing myriad of private media outlets to emerge in Tanzania, including the country’s first ever Television Station which went on air in 1994.
He was succeeded by Benjamin William Mkapa in 1995. Mkapa passed away in July 2020 after short illness.
Popularly known as Mzee Rukhsa, Mwinyi was born and raised in the village of Kivure, in the mainland’s coastal region.
Mwinyi then moved to Zanzibar and got his primary education at Mangapwani Primary School in Mangapwani, Zanzibar West Region, then attended Mikindani Dole Secondary School in Dole, Zanzibar West Region.
Between 1945 and 1964 he worked successively as a tutor, teacher, and head teacher at various schools before deciding to enter into politics.
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