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Police are investigating an incident in which unknown people dug the grave of philanthropist Sir William Northrup McMillan and ransacked his rusty casket in Ol Donyo Sabuk, Machakos County.
Officials said the tomb at the peak of the Ol Donyo Sabuk was interfered with on June 12 for an unknown motive.
Police arrived at the scene on Monday and confirmed the interference with the 98-year-old grave.
His aluminium coffin was ransacked. Those who saw it said it was half corroded.
McMillan was an American-born Kenyan settler, adventurer, and philanthropist.
He died in Nice, France in 1925 at the age of 52.
His body was returned to Kenya and he was buried at a site chosen by him prior to his death on the slopes of Ol Donyo Sabuk.
His wife Lucie continued to stay in Kenya after her husband’s death and died on September 1957 in Nairobi.
They had no children.
The McMillans were known for their philanthropy and financed the building of the YMCA, Scott’s Sanatorium and McMillan Memorial Library near the Jamia Mosque.
McMillan was born in St Louis, United States to William McMillan. His father, a British subject born in Canada, moved to St. Louis in 1870, was naturalised as an American citizen in 1874 and established the Missouri Car and Foundry Company.
McMillan’s uncle was James McMillan who founded the Michigan Car Company and his paternal grandparents were William and Grace McMillan who emigrated from Scotland to Canada.
After leaving school, he first tried his hand at ranching in New Mexico before seeking further adventures abroad.
His father died when McMillan was 29, leaving him with a large inheritance.
He successfully invested the money in oil fields in Romania and rubber plantations in Malaya, which made him even wealthier.
His first expedition to Africa took place in 1902 and he was involved in an expedition to Ethiopia to see whether the Blue Nile was navigable for which he was awarded two decorations from Emperor Menelik.
He first arrived in Kenya, at Kilindini Harbour in Mombasa on September 14, 1904.
In 1905, he purchased 15,000 acres of land on a 99-year lease from the British Crown and established Juja Farm at Ol Donyo Sabuk and constructed a five-bedroom house on the property.
The main house was followed by a three-bedroom manager’s bungalow, a two-bedroom bungalow called “Lucie’s bolthole”, and three other bungalows housing the post and telegraph office, and rooms for chauffeurs and gardeners.
The homes were fitted with electricity, running water, and a sewage system.
He started maize, flax and sisal farming on his farm.
In addition to his vast property at Juja farm, he purchased Ewart Grogan’s famous house in Chiromo, Nairobi.
He also maintained property in Berkeley Square, London. On September 28, 1908, McMillan invited U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt to be his guest when he came to East Africa at the end of his presidency.
Roosevelt accepted the invitation and arrived at Juja Farm on May 13, 1909, along with his son Kermit Roosevelt.
Roosevelt would return to Juja Farm on a few other occasions in 1909 to rest and wrote a book titled Africa Game Trails.
During a substantial portion of his stay in Nairobi, Roosevelt would also stay as a guest at McMillan’s townhouse, which was behind the Norfolk Hotel.
During the First World War, McMillan renounced his American citizenship and enlisted in the British Army and achieved the rank of Captain.
He later equipped a regiment at his own expense and utilised his properties, Juja Farm and Chiromo Farm, as soldiers’ convalescent homes and on February 6 1918 he was knighted and was awarded the KCMG for his wartime service.
He first entered politics as a member of the Legislative Council for the Ukamba constituency.
Later in 1923, together with Lord Delamere, he established the European and African Trades Organisation, to train African artisans to take Indians’ places and discourage further Indian immigration into East Africa. BY THE STAR