Kenyan bitter over ‘best job in the world’

• Some candidates were discriminated in race for post won by Briton, says Kieran

Kenya’s Kieran Jethwa lost out on the international hunt for a candidate to land ‘the best job in the world’, but he has been quick to congratulate the winner.

Briton Ben Southall, 34, beat more than 34,000 applicants from across the globe for the dream $100,000 (Sh8 million) six months assignment in Australia.

The winner’s task? To explore the sunny picturesque islands of the Great Barrier Reef for six months and report back to Tourism Queensland and the world via blogs, a photo diary, video updates and interviews.

Rock radio station

Jethwa, a DJ with a Nairobi rock radio station XFM was the only African in the top 50 even though he never made it to the final 15.

He also plays rugby for Nondies RFC, one of the top clubs in the country but currently undergoing a lean spell.

He considers Southall, who has also worked as a tour guide in Africa, a worthy winner after watching a video accompanying his applications for the dream job.

However, Jethwa says he knows why he was not selected for the final top 15 slot.

“I know the fact that I am from Kenya is what affected my chances because if you look at the final 15, they were all from countries whose citizens flock Australia as tourists,” he says.

He was disappointed with the discrimination saying that the organisers should have made that clear from the beginning.

“If they had said that was the criteria, I would not have bothered to apply in the first place. I do understand it is a business decision. I doubt we have very many Kenyans travelling to Australia for holidays.”

Were shocked

He says he was shocked to receive messages from fellow contestants whom he had never met or talked to telling him they were shocked he was not in the final 15.

“I don’t think I will be travelling to Australia or even the Hamilton Island any time soon because they are clearly not my favourite people at the moment,” says Jethwa.

He will be concentrating on his radio job and maybe branch to television soon.

The Australian state tourism body won international attention in January when it launched the competition as a publicity stunt to promote the 900 islands of the Great Barrier Reef.

It was flooded with applicants from around the world so much so that its web site crashed on the first day with people optimistic about landing the dream offer.

Southall gets a six-month contract to be part-time caretaker of Hamilton Island, a position that includes a rent-free oceanfront villa with pool and return air fares in a country said to experience “summer all year long.”