Widow of Zanzibar’s first President, the late Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, Mama Fatma, has died aged 97.

Zanzibar’s Second Vice President, Hemed Suleiman Abdulla, announced her death on

Monday, September 21, 2026, saying the deceased died at her home in Mbweni on the night of September 21, 2026.

Mr Hemed said her funeral would be held on Tuesday at 4 pm at the family cemetery in Mbweni.


“She will be prayed for at Zinabar Mosque and buried at the family cemetery in Mbweni. We join the President (Hussein Ally Mwinyi) in mourning this great loss,” he said.

Born on February 2, 1929, in Bumbwini Misufini, North Unguja Region, Mama Karume was the daughter of Gulamhussein Ismail and Mwanasha Mbwana Ramadhani, both natives of Bumbwini.

She received her primary education at Bumbwini School and married a year after completing her studies.

Raised in an environment shaped by religious values and Zanzibari culture, Mama Karume later became known for her principles and wisdom.

She married Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume, then a senior leader of the Afro-Shirazi
Party (ASP), who became Zanzibar’s first President following the 1964 Revolution.
As Zanzibar’s First Lady, Mama Karume supported her husband during a period that included the establishment of the new government and the formation of the Union between Tanganyika and Zanzibar.

The couple had children who later held senior public positions, including Amani Abeid Karume, who became Zanzibar’s sixth President, and Ali Karume, who served as a diplomat and ambassador.

Following Sheikh Karume’s assassination on April 7, 1972, Mama Karume endured the loss and continued her life as the widow of Zanzibar’s first President.
She was among the living witnesses to the 1964 Revolution and later recalled that following her husband’s death, the family went through a difficult period and received comfort from Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.

Throughout the years, she remained a prominent figure in Zanzibar and was regarded as a symbol of unity and stability.

In her later years, Mama Karume faced health challenges associated with advanced age.

She received treatment at Aga Khan Hospital in Dar es Salaam and later at Lumumba Hospital in Zanzibar.

While she was ill, she was visited by several national leaders, including President Samia Suluhu Hassan, who visited her in hospital on August 11, 2026, and Dr Emmanuel Nchimbi, who was then Vice President.

Minister of State in the President’s Office, Public Service Management and Good
Governance, Ridhiwani Kikwete, also visited Mama Karume at her home in Maisara.

During the visit, Mr Kikwete said the government would continue caring for widows of retired leaders as part of honouring their contribution to nation-building.

Mama Karume was widely recognised as the Mother of Zanzibar and remained a respected figure in the country’s public life.

Until her death, she was regarded as a figure of wisdom and an adviser to senior leaders.

Her death marks the passing of a woman whose life was closely connected to some of the defining moments in Zanzibar’s modern political history, from the 1964 Revolution and the establishment of the post-revolution government to the union and subsequent generations of leadership.

She is survived by her children and other family members.