Moi University has introduced a digital class-attendance system that requires students to take a selfie and switch on their phone's location and Bluetooth to register their presence during lectures.

The rollout begins with the Schools of Information Sciences and Education, whose lecture halls have already been fitted with the electronic devices the system uses to verify attendance.

Students must download the attendance app, called Tcheck, from the Google Play Store or Apple's App Store, then sign in with their student ID and registration number. Before checking in, they must take a clear selfie in a well-lit environment, without wearing caps, sunglasses or face masks, and switch on their phone's Bluetooth and location services.

Once inside a lecture hall, a student selects the check-in option on the app. Anyone who checks in 15 minutes or more after the scheduled start time is marked late. Students must also check out after the lecture: checking in without completing the check-out is recorded as not attended.

Each student account is limited to a single phone, to stop students signing in for absent colleagues. The notice warns: "Sign in in your phone only. Never sign in for a friend, once a phone is used for one account, it cant be used for another." Students who change phones cannot automatically access their accounts on the new device and must visit the university's ICT office for assistance.

The notice was issued by Dr Barasa Samson Omachar of the university's Timetabling and Semester Dates department. The university says the system is part of efforts to improve accountability, curb cases of "ghost" students and address complaints involving missing marks. The university is expected to hold an online induction to familiarise students with the system ahead of full rollout, with training sessions planned as teaching resumes after the lecturers' strike.

Education News reports that questions remain about how the university will treat students who miss classes for legitimate reasons, such as illness and family emergencies, and what procedures will apply when the equipment fails or does not register a student who is present.