Kenya Defence Forces on Saturday gave President Barack Obama the highest honour that can be accorded a foreign Head of State.
He
inspected a full guard mounted by the Kenya Air Force and the Kenya
Navy gave him the 21-gun salute in a colourful event at State House in
Nairobi.
The gun salute is usually reserved for a Head of State who is visiting Kenya for the first time since his or her inauguration.
Other
times Kenyans have witnessed it were in 2013 when President Uhuru
Kenyatta was sworn into office and after the promulgation of the
Constitution in 2009.
Though it is usually reserved for State visits, the military can vary the circumstances, like they did with President Obama.
Unlike
other Heads of State who have visited Kenya before him, President Obama
did not inspect a guard of honour at Jomo Kenyatta International
Airport, because he landed after 6pm. Military tradition dictates that
such an event cannot take place once the flags have officially been
lowered, usually after 6pm.
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