Samia Suluhu's Betrayed Promise: From Hope to Authoritarian Grip and Tyranny Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania’s first female president in March 2021 after John Magufuli’s death. “Mama Samia” promised reforms, but that goodwill vanished before the October 29, 2025, election. Freedom House labeled Tanzania “not free” in 2024. Human Rights Watch counted over 100 abductions; Amnesty called the crackdown “systematic.” Repression has spread in the country; journalist Mdude Nyangali vanished; six mi