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Life and Times of the McMillan’s

McMillan, an American farmer turned British army admirer, put up the house more than 100 years ago when he arrived in Kenya. McMillan was born to illiterate and poor parents, but he built one of the biggest empires while in Kenya.  Mc Millan was born at St Louis Missouri Us in 1872 and served with the British forces in East Africa in 1914 during the First World War. He rose to become a major. He maintained the British troops with his own wealth and was knighted in 1918 as recognition for his services to Britain. He is said to have been nearly 7ft tall and weighed about 40 pounds. He had to walk through most doors sideways.

 

While in Kenya he served as a member of the Legislative Council for Ukambani. He acquired land in Ondiri, in Makuyu near…..a sisal estate and had a 40,000 acre land near Juja Sukari ranch which was a private game sanctuary. A Donyo Sabuk he had a sisal and coffee estate. He also practiced dairy farming.

 

He died in Nice, France in 1925 at the age of 53 but his remains were brought back to Kenya to be buried at the top of Kilimambogo. His wife built the McMillan Memorial Library in Nairobi, which is now under the Nairobi City Council, in honour of her husband. The library’s founding stone was laid in 1920 and it was officially opened on 15th June 1931 by then Governor, Sir John Bryne. Lady McMillan’s lived at their Chiromo…….Campus till her death and was buried next to her husband at Kilimambogo. At the same site are also their housemaid and their pet dog.

Sir William Northrum McMillan

    Biography

  • He was a very wealthy person

  • He was a farmer, hunter and a soldier

  • He was born at St. Louis Missouri USA on 19th October 1872

  • His parents were Mr. William and Eliza Mc. Of Hamilton, Ontario Canada

  • Mc. Millan received his education in Pennsylvania USA

  • On 12th May 1894, he got married to Miss Louise Fairbanks daughter of Rev C. N. Webber of Southampton Massachusetts USA

 

    Sir McMillan’s Career

  • He took up ranching in the USA

  • He embarked on business at St. Louis in the United States of America

  • In 1898, McMillan moved to London on business

  • In 1901, he came to Africa on a big game shooting expedition

  • Four years later Macmillan made the then British East Africa Kenya his home and became a rancher.

 

    McMillan’s characteristic behavior

  • McMillan was a handsome, self  - styled,  jolly and emotional in many aspects of life; he helped many people hence a philanthropist

  • Due to such behavior, the Kambas referred to him as Mukola

  • Mr. McMillan mostly used idiomatic expressions thus he loved mankind, some of the causes he espoused were well known to both Europeans and the Kambas

 

    McMillan Acquired Land in Kenya

  • McMillan acquired land in Ondiri near Kikuyu Railway Station; near Saba Saba Makuyu, Samar Sisal Estate; near Juja, Sukari Ranch of 40,000 acres

  • Sukari Ranch was a private game Sanctuary and a farm where he studies game.

  • Macmillan acquired land in Donyo Sabuk and established a Sisal Estate and a coffee estate

  • In Donyo Sabuk Estate, he had a ranch and Zero Grazing in the premises where Donyo Sabuk Coffee Primary School is today

  • In Donyo Sabuk, McMillan built the present large magnificent building which was also the headquarters of all white settlers in Kenya East

  • This large magnificent castle has an underground tunnel for safety purposes

  • This large magnificent castle has 16 rooms and seven toilets, the ceiling, the doors, frames and the beams for supporting the roof are of oak wood imported from Scandinavian countries

  • In Donyo Sabuk, Sisal Section, McMillan had a large locomotive driven by steam running on a railway line that pulled trolleys that transported Sisal leaves to the Corona for decortication.

  • The sisal fibres after decortication were dried under the sun or in the huge steam drier, later on to the brush machines and finally to the sisal press and bound into bales of 100lbs each and ready for the overseas market

  • The remains of this information can today be seen in the Sisal Section Compound

  • McMillan had built magnificent staff houses for his Sisal Section managers along the foot of the hill where they isolated themselves

  • The general Manager house today is being used by the KWS as a guest house for the tourists

 

    Mrs.  Luice McMillan

  • Was a keen game photographer, a hobby she continued until late in her life

  • Continued to manage her husband’s farms, she later allocated Ondiri Samer and Sukari Ranch to white settlers

  • Spent part of their wealth to construct McMillan Library in the centre of Nairobi city for the remembrance of her famous husband’s inspiration of white settlement and distinguished career in the British army in Kenya

  • Lived in Chiromo House until she died in 1958

  • Her grave lies besides her husbands on the Buffalo Hill, her ayah and pet dog lie on the same site

 

    Sir McMillan’s Nairobi Home

  • His Nairobi home was Chiromo, that presently is one of the Nairobi University Campuses

  • He had bought Chiromo house from Major Ewart Grogan

  • McMillan Chiromo house architecture is quite similar to that of Donyo Sabuk house.

 

    McMillan’s First World War Service

  • He served with the British forces in East Africa in the 25th Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (Frontiersmen) in 1914

  • He attained the rank of a Major

  • For the benefit of the troops, he maintained them entirely at his expenses

  • In 1918 his distinguished service was recognized in the bestowal of a knighthood (KCMG)

  • McMillan served as a member of the Wakamba Constituency in the Legco

  • McMillan was a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society an Honorary Game warden

  • He was a member of the Agriculture and Horticulture Society, a forerunner of the Agriculture Society of Kenya

 

    The End of McMillan’s Life

  • McMillan died in Nice France, on Sunday March 22nd 1925 (22/3/1925) at the age of 53 in an English Nursing home on his way to London for treatment.

  • McMillan’s (Ashes) remains were returned to Kenya and buried in Donyo Sabuk Buffalo Mountain under an old gnarled tree he had chosen as his last resting place.

  • The Buffalo Mountain is on the overlooking the past plains below the Ithanga Hills.

  • McMillan was a huge person of over 400Lbs, a situation that could not allow him to have children.

  • In 1927, two years after death, a huge matching stone for grave cover was taken up the hillside by four tractors over several days.

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