Oxford student quits her degree to give funding to a needy Kenyan student

An Oxford student has quit her degree in the hope that her funding can be given to a student who needs £26,000 to continue his studies. Layo London has announced that she will quit her degree in a bid to keep Gillbert Mitullah at Oxford. Mitullah is studying for an MSc in Comparative and International Education, and is one term away from being the first Kenyan (and 10th African) ever to complete the course. A Kenya-based company had granted him funding for the course, but it was pulled on his second day in Oxford over visa delays. Since then, he has been fundraising the £25,800 fee, which must be paid by a tight deadline. So far a CrowdFunding page has raised £12,500.Gillbert Mitullah, whose future at Oxford is in jeopardy In Kenya Mitullah ran legal aid programs, mentored over 3,000 young people and contributed to curriculum reforms. He was voted one of Kenya's 100 Most Influential Young People of 2016.On his CrowdFunding page he explains why he thinks he deserves funding by saying:"I have dedicated a large part of my life to making a difference for others in leadership and education and I wish to continue my work when I complete the course."In a YouTube video, London said that she wanted to 'extend the privilege' of her funding to Gilbert so that he could continue to provide education to people who don't have the same opportunities she has had."Being at Oxford is a huge privilege," she said, "but it's one that I have access to very easily."London is a British citizen, and both her secondary school and university education were fully funded.The campaign group Rhodes Must Fall has also thrown its weight behind Mitulluh.Femi Nylander, a key member, said: “Gilbert’s lack of funding due to a delayed visa and corporate bureaucracy highlights everything that is wrong with UK’s visa service, which delayed a black African Oxford student for no good reason."A spokesperson for the university told Cherwell: “The Department of Education and St Antony’s College are both aware of Gilbert’s situation and are working with him to find a possible solution.”