Karume Day in 2025

When is Karume Day in Tanzania?

Karume Day is a public holiday in Tanzania, observed on April 7th.

Also known as Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day, this day commemorates the assassination of Zanzibari President Abeid Karume in 1972.

History of Karume Day

Believed to have been born in Malawi in 1905, Abeid Karume worked as a seaman before entering politics.

In December 1963, Zanzibar became a constitutional monarchy, with Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah as ruler.

The monarchy was short-lived. In January 1964, a revolution led by John Okello of the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP) overthrew the sultan. Abeid Karume had risen to become the leader of the ASP and was named as the first president of the People's Republic of Zanzibar.

When Tanzania was created later in 1964, Karume became its Vice-President and is regarded by some as the co-founder of Tanzania.

Karume was assassinated on April 7th 1972 in Zanzibar Town. Four gunmen shot him dead at the headquarters of the ASP. Despite a lack of evidence, the Marxist politician Abdulrahman Mohammad Babu was jailed and sentenced to death for being behind the plot of kill Karume. Babu was released after three years in an amnesty granted by President Nyerere.

Karume's son, Amani Abeid Karume served as president of Tanzania for two terms from 2000 to 2010.