- A Moi University online lecture was disrupted after a participant allegedly displayed an obscene hand gesture on camera.
- Hillary Muhalya reports that lecturer Margaret Mwonyonyo stopped the SNE 100 lesson and confronted the participant directly.
- The incident has sparked online debate, although no disciplinary action against the participant has been officially confirmed.
An online lecture at Moi University was briefly thrown into turmoil after a participant appearing on camera allegedly made an obscene hand gesture, prompting the lecturer to stop the lesson and confront him before fellow students.
The incident occurred during an SNE 100 class taught by lecturer Margaret Mwonyonyo when a participant identified on the online platform as Edwin Langat switched on his camera.
According to an account of the incident, Langat did not engage the lecturer or contribute to the academic discussion. Instead, he allegedly made a vulgar hand gesture while his video feed remained visible to other participants.
The gesture immediately drew Mwonyonyo’s attention, forcing her to interrupt the lesson and address the participant directly.
“You are abusing us, Edwin Langat. I am going to follow you,” the lecturer was heard saying during the confrontation.
Mwonyonyo also questioned whether Langat was genuinely enrolled in her class and warned that inappropriate conduct would not be tolerated in the virtual learning environment.
The confrontation shifted the focus of the lesson from academic work to discipline, with the lecturer making it clear that behaviour displayed during an online university class could have consequences beyond the virtual classroom.
Another participant subsequently unmuted their microphone and appeared to support the lecturer, describing the conduct as bad manners and poor character.
Incident attracts attention online
The incident has since attracted attention on social media, where users have offered varying reactions. Some commenters claimed to have had previous experiences involving the lecturer, while others speculated about whether Langat could face disciplinary action.
Those claims, however, do not establish that Moi University has suspended, expelled or otherwise punished the participant.
There has also been speculation online about how the participant gained access to the virtual class. That, too, remains unverified in the absence of an official explanation from the university.
The episode highlights a growing challenge for universities as learning increasingly moves between physical classrooms and digital platforms.
Online lectures give students the flexibility to participate from different locations, but they also create new disciplinary challenges. A participant can potentially disrupt an entire class through inappropriate use of a camera, microphone, chat function or screen-sharing facility.
For lecturers, maintaining order therefore requires not only academic preparation but also the ability to manage conduct in a digital environment.
The Moi University incident also raises broader questions about student responsibility during virtual lessons.
While online classes may take place away from a conventional lecture hall, they remain formal academic spaces where students are expected to observe institutional rules and respect lecturers and fellow learners.
For now, the reported confrontation remains the clearest established part of the incident. Any disciplinary action against the participant would need to be confirmed by Moi University or another authoritative source.
READ ALSO: Court declines to halt suspension of 22 Kisii University law students over exam malpractice
No official university statement confirming disciplinary proceedings against the person identified on the platform as Langat had been established at the time of publication.
By Hillary Muhalya
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