Two quickfire goals in the first half were enough for the hosts to capitalise on their home advantage and take a significant step toward clinching their third Confederation Cup title.
Simba, chasing their first piece of CAF silverware, showed fighting spirit throughout but were ultimately undone by missed chances-much to the delight of the passionate home crowd, who cheered Berkane from the first whistle to the last.
Berkane came out with attacking intent from the onset, with Imad Riahi and Youssef Merhi causing problems on the flanks and Oussama Lamlaoui proving a constant menace to the Simba defence.
The breakthrough came early, as central midfielder Mamadou Camara rose highest at the near post to head in a corner just eight minutes into the match.
Six minutes later, Berkane doubled their lead through Lamlaoui, who slotted home a well-taken effort to cap off another threatening attack.
Simba struggled to break down Berkane's disciplined defence, with Denis Kibu coming closest to scoring for the visitors - his curling shot narrowly missing the target, as the Moroccan side went into the break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.
The Tanzanian giants came out with renewed urgency in the second half, throwing everything forward in search of a crucial away goal, but their efforts came to nothing.
In the 62nd minute, Berkane believed they had extended their lead through Youssef Merhi, only for VAR to disallow the goal for offside.
Simba's frustration continued as they failed to breach Berkane's defence, leaving the Moroccan side with a vital two-goal cushion ahead of the second leg, set for May 25 in Tanzania.
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