Palace holds on to secret horrors, thrills a century later

McMillan House [Courtesy]

A prison in a palace. Life is full of contradictions. And sometimes some of the world’s best secrets are hidden in plain sight. Nothing would give away the uninspiring bungalow with faded walls and unkempt compound in a country which is gaining notoriety for its opulence.

But this structure constructed in 1918 at the foothills of Ol Donyo Sabuk in Kilimambogo,  simply known as McMillan house is not an ordinary dwelling place. It is a contradiction of life for it has king-size bedrooms where real kings and princes once spent luxurious evenings devouring fine wine and soft music in good company. Moral decadence was in vogue and party animals had their days.