Scottish grand master explains how Freemasonry works during Kenya tour
Brother William Ramsay McGhee, the grand master of the Grand Lodge of Scotland, one of the oldest Masonic Grand Lodges in the world, has given a quick glimpse of how Freemasonry operates.
Ramsay, who leads the Grand Lodge of Scotland, which was founded in 1736, dismissed claims that Freemasonry is a secret society, as widely described across the globe.
Speaking to a local media publication on Friday, May 16, 2025, the grand master insisted that Freemasonry has nothing to hide and that was why he made a tour to Nairobi.
“If it were a secret society, I would not be standing here talking to you today. It is a society that has one or two secrets, and those secrets are nothing to worry about,” Ramsay told a local publication.
“It is simply to make sure that anyone coming into Freemasonry, we have got something exciting to tell them as they progress through various degrees in Freemasonry,” he added.
Three degrees
In his in-depth address to the media outside the Masonic Temple in Nairobi, Ramsay explained that the society has three degrees that members are taken through.
According to Ramsay, during the first degree level, members are taught the importance of respecting and abiding by the laws of their respective countries.
In that first level, they are also taken through the virtue of exercising generosity within their society, where they are firmly educated on the importance of lending a hand whenever possible.
The second level involves exploring liberal arts and sciences. Ramsay, however, did not explain what the third degree entails.
“There are three degrees in Freemasonry: The first degree requires them to recognise the laws of the country that they live in and they are encouraged to do all that they can for their neighbour and to become good people,” he explained.
“We move to the second step in Freemasonry, and in that degree we explore liberal arts and sciences such as music, geometry and that type of thing. There is nothing to worry about,” the grand master added.
Misinformation
However, he lamented over what he described as misleading information online. He noted with concern that most websites had published information to paint Freemasons as a scary society.
He, however, insisted that their sole objective was to mould better people in society.
“If you to the websites, you can see all about Freemasonry. My concern is that when you go to the website, you will see so many things that are totally and utterly untrue.
“When it comes to Freemasonry, there are no pokery things about it; we are simply good, honest men who are trying to make good, honest men out of other men,” Ramsay concluded.
His tour in Nairobi coincides with the closure of the Masonic Temple in the city, which he maintained the matter was being addressed.
Masonic roots
The Masonic roots in Nairobi are quite significant, intertwined with the city’s early development during the British East Africa Protectorate.
Their presence is felt with the uniqueness of buildings like the All Saints’ Cathedral at the turn of the last century. They put up churches as well as colonial institutions and extensively incorporated Freemasonry signs and symbols even in Anglican churches.
It was the Freemasons who defined Nairobi’s early architecture, building some of the grandest buildings in the country to date. Most are considered classics. Some are national monuments, giving the city a regal feel, reminiscent of Kenya’s imperial past.
Most of them were designed by Sir Herbert Baker, a Freemason, including Parliament Buildings, KICC, the Supreme Court, Holy Family Basilica, City Hall, Kenya Railways headquarters, McMillan Memorial Library and the All Saints Cathedral.
It is not clear exactly when Freemasonry began, but it is widely accepted to have originated from the stonemason trade guilds of the Middle Ages, referred to as incorporated trades or crafts. The earliest use of the term Freemason dates from around 1390, but it referred purely to operative members.
