Dr. Kefa Otiso
Education:
Ph.D., Geography, University of Minnesota, 2000
Specialty Areas of Interest:
Urban, Economic
African Development
Immigration
GIS Applications
Current BGSU Courses:
- GEOG 1210/1220: World Regional: Eurasia & Africa/Americas-Pacific
- GEOG 2250: The Global Economy
- GEOG 2300: Cultural Geography
- GEOG 2420: Geography of Terrorism
- GEOG 3120: Spatial Business Analytics (Location Analysis & GIS Applications in Marketing Geography)
- GEOG 3250: Population Geography
- GEOG 4260/5260: Urban Geography
Recent and Current Research or Grants:
2017 U.S. Department of State, Mandela Washington Fellowship, $150,000, Bowling Green State University Mandela-Washington Fellowship Institute on Civic Leadership. PI Dr. Chris Frey, CO-Is V. Jane Rosser and Kefa Otiso. (Awarded February 2017).
2009 International research Exchange Board, $19,588, 2010-2011 Global Undergraduate Exchange Program in Eurasia and Central Asia. PI-Timothy Pogacar, Co-PIs: Paul Hofmann and Kefa Otiso.
2004 Bowling Green State University, Center for Family and Demographic Research – CFDR, $5,105, Becoming American? Second Generation African Immigrants in the United States, Co-PI: Franklin Goza.
2001 Bowling Green State University, Center for Innovative and Transformative Education – CITE, $5,380, Integration of Geography and Geographical Concepts into the Secondary Public School Curriculum. Co-PI: Karen Johnson-Webb.
2001-2003 Ohio Educational Telecommunications Network Commission, $247, 412.43, OhioTek: A Focus on Learning. Grant was used to develop an instructional multimedia literacy program for low-wealth Northwest Ohio schools. PI-Melissa Spirek, Co-PIs: Anthony Short, Kefa Otiso, John Fischer, Cynthia Bertelsen, Roger Minier.
Recent Peer Reviewed Publications and Submissions:
Books
Culture and Customs of Tanzania, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2013. ISBN-13: 978-0313339783
Culture and Customs of Uganda, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2006. ISBN: 0313331480
Chapters of Books
Kefa M. Otiso and Bisola Falola, 2018. “Introduction” in Toyin Falola and Bisola Falola (ed). The African Metropolis: Struggles over Urban Space, Citizenship, and Rights to the Neoliberal City. Routledge.
Kefa M. Otiso, 2018. “Construction of the postcolonial Tanzanian National Identity”, in Guntram H. Herb and David H. Kaplan (ed). Nested Identities: Nationalism, Territory, and Scale (Rowman & Littlefield, 2nd edition).
Jacob Adetunji and Kefa M. Otiso, 2006. “Dual Residence Patterns in a Yoruba Community,” In Toyin Falola and Ann Genova (ed), The Yoruba in Transition: History, Values, and Modernity, Durham: Carolina Academic Press.
Kefa M. Otiso, 2005. “Colonial Urbanization and Urban Management in Kenya,” In Steven Salm and Toyin Falola (eds), African Urban Spaces in Historical Perspective, Rochester: University of Rochester Press.
Kefa M. Otiso, 2004. “The U.S. African Growth and Opportunities Act (AGOA): Bane or Boon for the African Textile and Footwear Industry,” in Chris Rogerson and Dorothy McCormick (eds), Clothing and Footwear in African Industrialization, Pretoria: Africa Institute of South Africa.
Kefa M. Otiso, 2003. “Local Governments [in Africa],” in Toyin Falola (ed) (2003), Contemporary Africa (Africa Volume 5): Durham: Carolina Academic Press
Refereed Journal Articles
Kimosop, Peter K., Otiso, Kefa M., and Ye, Xinyue, 2015, “Spatial and gender inequality in the Kenya certificate of primary education examination results.” Applied Geography, 62, August 2015, Pages 44-61.
Manyibe M.B., Manyibe, E.O. & Otiso, K.M., 2013, “College Student Leadership Development: an Examination of Precollege Leadership Development of African Students in United States.” The Journal of Negro Education, 82 (4): 422-432.
Richard Mbatu and Kefa M. Otiso, 2012, “Chinese Economic Expansionism in Africa: A Theoretical Analysis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve Hypothesis in the Forest Sector in Cameroon.” African Geographical Review 31 (2): 141-162.
Bassens, D., Derudder, B., Otiso, K., Storme, T., Witlox, F., 2012, “Gateways to Africa: Mapping airline connectivity change for Africa’s global urban networks in the 2003-2009 period.” South African Geographical Journal, 94(2): 103-119.
Joseph Taabazuing, Isaac Luginaah, Godwin Djietror & Kefa M. Otiso, 2012. “Mining, conflicts and livelihood struggles in a dysfunctional policy environment: the case of Wassa West District, Ghana.” African Geographical Review 31 (1): 33-49.
Ian E. A. Yeboah, Bakama BakamaNume, and Kefa M. Otiso, 2011. “Thirtieth Anniversary of African Geographical Review: History, Adoption, Institutionalization, and the Future of the Journal.” African Geographical Review 30 (2): 5-17.
Kefa M. Otiso, Ben Derudder, David Bassens, Lomme Devriendt & Frank Witlox, 2011. “Airline Connectivity as a Measure of the Globalization of African Cities.” Applied Geography 31 (2): 609-620.
William G. Moseley and Kefa M. Otiso, 2010. “Assessing Sub-Saharan Africa’s University-Level Geography Resources: A Preliminary Investigation.” African Geographical Review, 29 (1): 5-19.
Kefa M. Otiso, 2009, “Kenya in the Crosshairs of Global Terrorism: Fighting Terrorism at the Periphery.” Kenya Studies Review 1, 1, 107–132.
Kefa M. Otiso and William G. Moseley, 2009. “Examining Claims for Information and Communication Technology-Led Development in Africa.” African Geographical Review 28, 99–119.
Kefa M. Otiso and George Owusu, 2008, “Comparative Urbanization in Ghana and Kenya in Time and Space.” GeoJournal 71:143–157
Kefa M. Otiso, 2005, “Kenya’s Secondary Cities Growth Strategy at a Crossroads: Which Way Forward?” GeoJournal, 62: 117–128
Kefa M. Otiso and Bruce W. Smith, 2005, “Immigration and Economic Restructuring in Ohio’s Cities, 1940-2000”, Ohio Journal of Science, 105 (5): 133-137 December 2005
Kefa M. Otiso, 2003, “State, Voluntary and Private Sector Partnerships for Slum Upgrading and Basic Service Delivery in Nairobi City, Kenya,” Cities, 20 (4), 2003, 221-229
Kefa M. Otiso, 2002, “Forced Evictions in Kenyan Cities,” Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography, 23(3), 2002, 252-267
Encyclopedia Entries
"Nairobi", In Tony Orum (eds), The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Urban and Regional Studies, Hoboken, NJ: Wiley-Blackwell, 2018, 320 pages. ISBN: 978-1-118-56845-3, 2018
"Uganda", In Toyin Falola and Daniel Jean-Jacques (eds), Africa: An Encyclopedia of Culture and Society, Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 2015, 1,194 pages, maps, photos, and table. ISBN-13: 978-1-59884-665-2, (Hardcover and eBook Editions). Pp. 1247-1278, 2015
"Nairobi, Kenya", In Ray Anderson (eds), Berkshire Encyclopedia of Sustainability Vol. 9: Afro-Eurasia: Assessing Sustainability, Gt Barrington, MA: Berkshire Publishing, 2012.
"Religion in Uganda", In Mark Juergensmeyer and Wade Clark Roof (eds), Encyclopedia of Global Religion, Thousand Oaks CA: Sage Publishers, 2011.
Special Published Reports
The African Capacity Building Foundation, 2016. The Challenge of African Youth Unemployment, Occasional Paper No. 26, 2016. ISBN: 978-0-77937-057-0. Harare, Zimbabwe: The African Capacity Building Foundation, http://www.acbf-pact.org. (Originally written under contract by Profs. Joseph Oppong, Kefa Otiso, and Benjamin Ofiri-Amoah; released in English and French).
Conference Presentations:
“The Mandela Washington Fellowship - Young African Leaders Initiative - YALI: Opportunities, Impact and Lessons Learned,” 10th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, September 8-9, 2017, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
“Devolution and Kenya's Post-2013 Urban Planning, Management, Growth, and Transformation,” 59th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association on “Imagining Africa at the Center: Bridging Scholarship, Policy, and Representation in African Studies.” Held on December 1 - 3, 2016, at Washington Marriott Wardman Park, Washington DC, USA.
“Welcome Toledo-Lucas County (TLC) and NW Ohio's Quest for the Immigrant Pie,” Race, Ethnicity, and Place Conference VIII, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, September 21-23, 2016.
“Surnames in Immigrant research: The Case of the Kenyan Immigrants and Kenyan‐Americans in the USA,” 9th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, September 9 & 10, 2016, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
Faith Maina and Kefa M. Otiso, “Kenya Diaspora Fellowship Program (KDFP): Internationalization, Globalization, Capacity Building, and Transfer of Intellectual Capital to Kenya,” 9th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, September 9 & 10, 2016, Atlanta Marriott Marquis, 265 Peachtree Center Ave NE, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA.
“Rethinking Development Paradigms by Africa and its Partners,” Third Annual International Interdisciplinary Conference, June 23, 2016, Multimedia University of Kenya (MMUK), Nairobi, Kenya.
“The Urban Night Lights View of Kenyan Urban Areas: Emerging Urban Trends and Challenges,” 8th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, September 4 & 5, 2015, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL, USA.
“Kazi kwa Vijana: Kenya’s Quest for Full Youth Employment,” Association of American Geographers’ Conference, April 21-25, 2015 Chicago, IL, USA.
“An Interrogation of Kenyan High School Student Career Aspirations through Farewell Books,” 7th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, September 5 & 6, 2014, University of North Alabama, Florence, AL, USA.
“Construction of the postcolonial Tanzanian National Identity,” Association of American Geographers’ Conference, April 8-12, 2014, Tampa, FL, USA.
Joseph Wambia and Kefa M. Otiso "Can Devolution Succeed in Kenya – The Political Economy of Devolution", 6th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, September 6-7, 2013, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
"Geographies of Kenyan Immigrants in the United States", Race, Ethnicity, and Place Conference VI, San Juan, Puerto Rico, October 24-26, 2012.
“Using U.S. Census Data to Plan for the Kenyan Diaspora Vote” Kenya Diaspora Conference, October 5-7 2012, DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Washington Dc-Crystal City, Arlington, VA 22202, USA.
“Time to Vote: Using Census Data to Plan for the US Kenyan Diaspora Vote - How many will actually do?” 5th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, September 7-8, 2012, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
“Kenya’s African Silicon Savanna and Other New Towns: A Panacea for Kenya’s Urban and Economic Challenges?” Association of American Geographers’ Conference, February 24-28, 2012, New York, NY.
“Profile of the Kenyan Diaspora in the USA,” Kenya Diaspora Conference, October 8-9 2011, Marriot Wardman Park 2660 Woodley Road NW, Washington D.C. 20008, USA.
“Kenyan Cities in the Global Airline Industry: Implications for Development,” 4th Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, September 16-17, 2011, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
“Kenya’s New County-based Devolution: Inequality Reduction or Redux,” Association of American Geographers’ Conference, April 12-16, 2011, Seattle, Washington.
“Public-Private Partnerships – Engaging the Global Kenyan Diaspora,” Kenya Diaspora Investment Conference (KDIC), Radisson Hotel, 10 Independence Drive, Chelmsford, MA, USA. October 15, 2010.
Kefa M. Otiso and Evans Nyangeri, “Kenya's Motorbike Invasion: Globalization and Motorbike Transport in Nyansiongo Town, Kenya,” 3rd Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, Friday, September 17 - Saturday, 18, 2010, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
Linah Mairura and Kefa M. Otiso, “Health Challenges in the Gusii region of Kenya,” 3rd Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, Friday, September 17 - Saturday, 18, 2010, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
“Comparative Analysis of East African Immigrants in the United States”, African Migration and Gender: Focus on Eastern Africa, An International Conference by Invitation at the Humboldt University, Berlin, Germany, (hosted by the EDULINK Project IMMIS (African Migration and Gender in Global Context –Implementing Migration Studies) – a joint project by Ahfad University for Women (Sudan), Humboldt University Berlin (Germany), Makerere University (Uganda), Mbarara University of Science and Technology (Uganda), Oldenburg University (Germany) and Stavanger University (Norway)), 25 – 26 September 2009.
“The Globalization of Nairobi: Implications for Kenya’s Development”, 2nd Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, July 31-August 1, 2009, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
“Bungalows, Mansions, and Palaces: The Next Frontier of Private Accumulation and Consumption in Global Nairobi”, Association of American Geographers’ Conference, March 22-27, 2009, Las Vegas, Nevada.
“A Geographic Analysis of Socioeconomic Inequality in Kenya: Implications for the Country’s Future”, Inaugural Kenya Scholars’ and Studies Association Conference, Bowling Green State University, August 1-2, 2008, Bowling Green, OH 43403.
“The Role of Decentralization in Kenya’s Economic Growth in the post-2003 Period”, Association of American Geographers’ Conference, April 15-19, 2008, Boston, Massachusetts.
“The New African Diaspora in the U.S.– Implications for the U.S., Africa, and the Diaspora”, Keynote Address, African Community Association 13th Annual Scholarship Dinner Dance, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, Saturday, October 27, 2007.
“A Geodemographic Analysis of Kenyan Immigration to the United States”, Kenya Community Abroad Annual Conference and 10th Anniversary, The Marriott at the University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19711, July 6-8, 2007
“A Geodemographic Analysis of Kenyan Immigration to the United States”, 2nd Gusii Education Conference & MKIDA Annual Graduation Gala, June 29 – 30, 2007, Minneapolis, MN, USA.
“A Geodemographic Analysis of Kenyan Immigration to the United States”, International Conference on "The Role of the Kenyan Diaspora in Kenya's Development", Kennesaw State University, March 22-24, 2007
Updated: 07/01/2020 12:32PM