As the government released details of the late President Mwai Kibaki's send-off, it was indicated that the fallen Head of State would receive a 19-gun-salute.
This nitty gritty of the State funeral and the full military honour triggered a debate as to why the late President would not receive a 21-gun-salute - the highest honour.
Nonetheless, various security experts and former military officials explained that Kibaki will receive a 19-gun-salute because he died while out of office.
This was also in the case of the late President Daniel Arap Moi who died in 2020 after retiring in 2002. Moi had ruled the country for 24 years from 1978, when Kenya's Founding President Jomo Kenyatta passed on.
According to the National Museum documents in the United Kingdom, the gun salutes date back to the 17th century when various troops used the gun salutes to inform the troops they were visiting that they did not have any weapons with them.
"The firing of gun salutes is a very old custom which appears to have originated in the early days of sail. Ships, when on goodwill visits to foreign ports, discharged all their guns to seaward on arrival thus indicating to the authorities ashore that their guns were empty and their visit peaceful," read the document in part.
During the gun salutes, gun powder a cannon, or artillery is used. Due to the loud noise, military officers who take part in the exercise wear a special headpiece to protect their eardrums.
All over the world, the 21 gun salute is the highest honour and is accorded to the Head of States during swearing-in ceremonies and while visiting foreign countries.
In the event that a sitting Head of State dies, then they will also be accorded the 21 gun salute as was the case of the founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta in 1978.
On the other end, the 19 gun salute is also accorded to other senior government officials visiting a country such as Prime Ministers.
This was witnessed in May 2018 when the former UK Prime Minister Theresa May visited the country.
Other Kenyans who have been accorded State Funerals include Former Vice President Michael Kijana Wamalwa who died in 2003, months after being sworn-in.
In 2011 Nobel Peace Laureate Prof Wangari Maathai was accorded State funeral honour and former First Lady Lucy Kibaki in 2016.
