[3] Their daughter Wanu Hafidh Ameir (born 1982), the couple's second child, went on to become a member of the Zanzibar House of Representatives.

In 1986, she graduated from the Institute of Development Management (present-day Mzumbe University) with an advanced diploma in public administration.

[1] Magufuli and Suluhu were re-elected in the 2020 general election, though the victory was called into question after allegations of electoral fraud by independent observers.

[15] Out of public view, there was an effort by factions of the party to prevent her from becoming president, and she was the last of the senior government officials to be briefed on Magufuli's death.

[16] Upon her swearing-in, Suluhu became Tanzania's first female president[6] and the second Zanzibari to hold the post,[18] after Ali Hassan Mwinyi.

She became one of only two serving female heads of state in Africa at the time she was sworn in, alongside Ethiopia's Sahle-Work Zewde, who held only a ceremonial role.

[24] Projects that she prioritised include establishing a railway line, building a hydropower plant, and making electricity and clean water available in rural Tanzania.

[19] Suluhu filmed a movie, The Royal Tour, with journalist and filmmaker Peter Greenberg in early 2021 with the intention of promoting tourism and getting investors interested in Tanzania.

[19] In 2022, she attended the Expo 2020 to promote Tanzanian products and opportunities which led her to sign a business partnership deal with Dubai.

[30] By 2024, she began appealing to the supporters of her predecessor by appointing Magufuli loyalists like Doto Biteko and Paul Makonda to government positions.

[1] Al-Jazeera correspondent Catherine Wambua-Soi described a collaborative nature in Suluhu's approach to government, saying that she consults her advisors instead of making unilateral decisions.

[1] BBC News cited a comparison to Magufili's predecessor, Jakaya Kikwete, who similarly engaged in diplomacy with the opposition instead of repression.

[7] Suluhu has emphasised her femininity as part of her presidency, describing it as a factor in her attempts to create a culture of political unity.

These included releasing political prisoners, meeting with opposition leaders, and reopening newspapers that were shut down for criticising the government.

[35] Though she has initiated several democratic reforms, there is no agreement as to how much can be attributed to her policies, and she has faced criticism for not challenging many authoritarian laws and practices.

[19][32] Suluhu chose not to seek widely demanded amendments to the constitution when she took office, citing the poor state of the economy.

This caused critics to accuse Suluhu of releasing Mbowe on condition of support for Western feminist policies.