Zanzibar’s inaugural first lady dies in the Isles. She was 97 years old
The first person to serve as the first lady of Zanzibar, Mama Fatma Karume, has passed away in the Isles, aged 97.
Mama Fatma Karume was the wife of the first President of Zanzibar, Abeid Amani Karume the founder and chairperson of the Afro-Shiraz Party and who was assassinated in 1972.
She holds record of being the wife of a Zanzibari President and also the mother to another President of Zanzibar.
Fatma died on the 21st of September 2026.
Her husband, the late Abeid Amani Karume was also the first Vice President of Tanzania, serving under Mwalimu Julius Kambarage Nyerere.
Fatma was not much into politics and throughout her life she kept a low profile save for the occasional media interviews during special occasions.
The late lady Fatma is also the mother of Amani Abeid Karume, the former President of Zanzibar who presided in the Isles between November 2000 and October 2010.
She is also the mother to Ambassador Ali Karume who was a Tanzanian envoy to various foreign countries, including Belgium, Netherlands and Luxembourg (Benelux) as well as the European Union (E.U) where he served from 1996 to 2002.
Subsequently, until 2006, Karume served as Ambassador to Germany, Switzerland and Poland with concurrent accreditation to the Holy See- Vatican, Austria, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria.
In July 2006, Ambassador Karume was appointed by President Kikwete as Ambassador to Italy, Turkey, Greece, Slovenia, Cyprus and Malta.
Her granddaughter, Fatma who inherited the lady’s first name is a prominent lawyer and human rights activist.