Dar es Salaam. When Ambar Khamis Haji speaks about 2025, he does so with conviction. The NCCR-Mageuzi chairman believes the time has come for him to step forward and seek Tanzania’s highest office.
Born on 18 May 1966 in Makadara, Pemba, Mr Haji’s journey has taken him from the seas as a sailor to the heart of opposition politics. His story is one of persistence, political loyalty and an ambition shaped over three decades of reform struggles.
Mr Haji was born into the Haji family, a prominent clan in Zanzibar’s trading history. Of Shirazi heritage, he grew up in Mkoani District, where he attended Uweleni Primary School.
It is the same school that produced one of Tanzania’s towering statesmen, Dr Salim Ahmed Salim, who went on to serve as Prime Minister and Secretary General of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU).
As a child, Mr Haji recalls wandering near the area where Dr Salim once lived, hoping to draw inspiration from his legacy. That admiration for leadership, he says, left a mark on him from an early age.
After completing primary education in 1984, Mr Haji joined Mikunguni Technical College in Unguja. There, he studied carpentry under Danish instructors, completing the five-year course in 1989. Although he qualified as a carpenter, he never pursued the trade professionally.
From sailor to entrepreneur Instead, Haji turned to business. Between 1989 and 1991, he was involved in cross-border trade, ferrying goods such as toothpaste, margarine, and soap from Mombasa to Zanzibar, while exporting Zanzibari clothes, perfumes, and traditional oils to Kenya.
In 1991, driven by a desire to explore the world, he travelled through Syria and Lebanon before settling briefly in Greece, where he worked as a sailor on docked ships. That one year at sea gave him resilience and broadened his worldview.
Upon returning to Zanzibar, Haji returned to commerce, starting modestly. He sold bananas for urojo (a Zanzibari delicacy) and later saved enough to open Seti Enterprise, a clothing shop in Darajani that specialised in fabrics from Dubai.
Over the years, his ventures expanded. Between 2007 and 2014, he focused on importing cars from the UK and Dubai, selling them in Dar es Salaam.
His base of operations was in Magomeni, where he built a reputation as a consistent trader. He also lived in the UK between 2003 and 2004, which, he says, exposed him to new ideas and opportunities.
Married since 1992 to Saida Ashuru Abeid, Haji is a father of four—Ismail, Zulfa, Barke and Jamil.
Political awakening
Haji’s political journey began with the return of multiparty democracy in the early 1990s. Inspired by the reform movement, he joined NCCR-Mageuzi in 1994. A year later, he contested the Mkoani parliamentary seat in the first multiparty election but was unsuccessful.
Despite the defeat, he remained active in party structures, serving on the National Executive Committee and later as a trustee between 1999 and 2012.
Twice, he acted as party chairman: first between 2000 and 2001, while James Mbatia fought a legal battle over parliamentary results in Vunjo, and again from 2006 to 2008, when Mbatia studied in the Netherlands.
Why does he want the presidency?
Mr Haji openly acknowledges the achievements of President Samia Suluhu Hassan. He credits her with sustaining development and promoting unity. Yet he is critical of leaders under her, whom he accuses of failing to work cohesively and undermining her vision.
“Right now, government is like a catfish,” he says. “Regional commissioners overlap with directors, district commissioners take on roles that are not theirs, and administrative officers interfere with each other’s duties. The result is conflict and inefficiency. I want to be president to fix this.”
He argues that Tanzania’s recent leaders have had strong guiding mottos—Magufuli’s “Hapa Kazi Tu” (“Here, only work”) and Samia’s “Kazi Iendelee” (“Let the work continue”). While he praises President Samia for continuing the work effectively, he insists she has been let down by subordinates.
Another central plank of his platform is strengthening democracy and institutional independence. He contends that parliament has become a rubber stamp, supporting government decisions without scrutiny. If elected, he pledges to ensure parliament reclaims its oversight role and that the judiciary operates without interference.
“Separation of powers must be respected. The judiciary must be free from political influence, and parliament must act as a true watchdog,” he says.
Confidence in leadership
Mr Haji insists his long-standing ambition to lead Tanzania is driven by a desire to deliver more for citizens. He cites his political experience, his years in business, and the training courses he has attended locally and abroad as assets that prepare him for national leadership.
“I emphasise that President Samia has done well and has the country’s best interests at heart. But she has done enough—it is now my turn. She has achieved much, but I want Tanzanians to understand me and support me. If she has succeeded, why should I fail?” he asks.
He also points to his life experiences—growing up in Zanzibar, working in mainland Tanzania, and living abroad—as evidence of his adaptability. “These experiences have given me the confidence that I can propel Tanzania forward,” he says.
Looking ahead as the 2025 elections draw closer, Haji is banking on his reformist credentials and decades of loyalty to NCCR-Mageuzi.
He portrays himself as a man who has risen from humble beginnings, tested by the sea, commerce and politics, and now ready to assume the presidency.
For him, 2025 is not just another election year—it is, in his words, his turn to lead.
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