Why does the flag of Kazakhstan have 32 golden rays of the sun?

I have looked at several sources, particularly at the official website of the President of Kazakhstan http://www.akorda.kz/en/state_symbols/kazakhstan_flag, and regarding the sun and its rays, regardless of their number, the President's website provides a lot on the symbolism:

According to the heraldic principles the sun symbolizes wealth and abundance, life and energy. That is why the sun rays on the flag have the form of grain, a symbol of wealth and welfare. By representing the sun at its state attributes Kazakhstan reaffirms its commitment to universal values, which also indicates that the new young country is full of life-affirming energy and is open to all countries for cooperation.

Although all of the sites I checked specify that there are 32 rays of the sun and go into similar great detail on the symbolism of all the elements of the design (Shaken Niyazbekov won a national competition for it in 1992), none of them assign any reason or symbolism to the number 32.

To cover one obvious possibility, unlike many other flags, the number here does not refer to the number of internal divisions/state/regions, as there are 14 regions in Kazakhstan. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Regions_of_Kazakhstan

I would guess that the number of 32 is simply the simplest way of drawing them, starting with a cross form and then by doubling the number each time. Possibly 32 looks about right, while 64 would be too many.