Dr. Kefa Otiso

Education:

Ph.D., Geography, University of Minnesota, 2000

Specialty Areas of Interest:

Urban, Economic
Third World Development
Immigration
GIS Applications

Recent and Current Research or Grants:

Bowling Green State University, Center for Family and Demographic Research – CFDR (2004), $5,105, Becoming American? Second Generation African Immigrants in the United States, Co-Investigator: Franklin Goza.

Bowling Green State University, Center for Innovative and Transformative Education – CITE (2001), $5,380, Integration of Geography and Geographical Concepts into the Secondary Public School Curriculum. Co-Investigator: Karen Johnson-Webb.

Ohio Educational Telecommunications Network Commission, 2001-2003, $247, 412.43, OhioTek: A Focus on Learning. Grant was used to develop an instructional multimedia literacy program for low-wealth Northwest Ohio schools. Co-researchers: Anthony Short, Melissa Spirek, Kefa Otiso, John Fischer, Cynthia Bertelsen, and Roger Minier.

Bowling Green State University - Faculty Mentoring & Enrichment Program, (2001 – 2002), $3,000, Home Away From Home: U.S.-Based Kenyans and Socioeconomic Development in Kenya

Ohio Educational Telecommunications Network Commission, (2001-2003), $247, 412, OhioTek: A Focus on Learning, PI-Melissa Spirek, Co-PI: Anthony Short, Kefa Otiso, John Fischer, Cynthia Bertelsen, Roger Minier.

Recent Peer Reviewed Publications and Submissions:

Books

Culture and Customs of Uganda, Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2006. ISBN: 0313331480

Chapters of Books

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

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

Conference Presentations:

Arthur N. Samel, Bruce W. Smith, and Kefa M. Otiso, 2006. “The Integration of Geography into the 7-12 Curriculum Using GIS in the Toledo Public Schools”, Presented at the Annual East Lakes Association of American Geographers’ Conference, University of Toledo, OH, October 20-21, 2006

Kefa M. Otiso. 2006. “Comparative Geodemographic Analysis of Select African Immigrant Streams to the US” Presented at the Annual Association of American Geographers’ Conference, Chicago, IL March 7-11, 2006

Kefa M. Otiso. 2005. “Geodemographic Analysis of Kenyan Immigration to the United States” Presented at the East Lakes Association of American Geographers’ Conference, Bowling Green, OH, October 21-22, 2005

Kefa M. Otiso, 2005. “A Geographic Analysis of Kenya’s Housing Situation: Assessing Current Opportunities and Constraints”, Presented at the Association of American Geographers’ Conference, April 5-9, 2005, Denver, Colorado

Bruce W. Smith and Kefa M. Otiso, 2005. Immigration and Economic Restructuring in Two Ohio Cities, 1940-2000, 114th Annual Meeting The OHIO ACADEMY of SCIENCE, Hosted by Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, Ohio, April 1-2, 2005

Kefa M. Otiso, 2004. “Africa’s Brain Drain: A Historio-Geographic Synopsis”, Presented at the International Africa’s Brain Gain Conference, December 19-22, 2004, Safari Park Hotel, Nairobi, Kenya.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2004. "Divided Loyalty: Urban House vs. Rural Home and the Challenge of Urban Development in Kenya" Presented at the 2004 Conference on Race, Ethnicity & Place, September 16-18, 2004, Howard University Campus, Washington, DC

Bruce Smith, Kefa M. Otiso, and Melissa Spirek, 2004. “Communicating Geography Through Newspaper Maps”, Presented at the Applied Geography Annual Conference, October 20-24, 2004, St. Louis, MO.

Jacob Adetunji and Kefa M. Otiso, 2004. “Dual Residence Patterns in a Yoruba Community,” Presented at the Perspectives on Yoruba History and Culture, University of Texas at Austin, March 26 – 28, 2004.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2004. “Kenya in the Crosshairs of Global Terrorism: Fighting Terrorism at the Periphery,” Presented at the Centennial (100th) Association of American Geographers’ Conference, Philadelphia, PA, March 14-19, 2004.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2003. “Colonial Hangovers and the Challenge of Urban Management in Kenya,” Presented at the African Urban Spaces: History and Culture Conference, University of Texas at Austin, March 28 – 30, 2003.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2003. “Kenya’s secondary city growth strategy at a crossroads,” Presented at the 99th Annual Association of American Geographers’ Conference, New Orleans, LA, March 5-8, 2003.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2002. “The U.S. African Growth Opportunity Act (AGOA): Bane or Boon for the African Textile and Footwear Industry?” Paper presented at the International Conference on Clothing and Footwear in African Industrialization, Building an African Research Network, (Sponsored by the University of Nairobi, Institute of Development Studies), July 5 – 6, 2002, Serena Beach Hotel, Mombasa, Kenya.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2002. “Political Economy of African Immigration to the U.S.” Presented at the Georgia Mini-Conference on Immigration and America's Changing Ethnic Landscapes, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, April 12-14, 2002.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2002. “New Frontiers in African Urban Governance: Popular Attempts to Reform Municipal Government in Kenya” Presented at the Ninety-eighth Annual Association of American Geographers’ Conference, Los Angeles, CA, March 19-23, 2002.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2001. “Information Technology and Development in Africa: Reality or Mirage?” Paper presented at the Annual African Studies Association Conference, Houston, TX, November 15 -18, 2001.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2001. “Collaborative Efforts to Enrich Junior High Social Studies Instruction: A Case Study of East Toledo, Ohio,” (Co-Authors: Karen Johnson-Webb, Bruce Smith, & Stephen Chang, Department of Geography, BGSU), Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the East Lakes Division of Association of American Geographers, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, October 27, 2001.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2001. “State, Voluntary & Private Sector Partnerships for Housing and Service Delivery in Cities in Developing Countries: Case Studies from Slum Areas of Nairobi City, Kenya.” Paper presented at International Conference on Urbanizing World and UN Human Habitat II (Parallel Event of the UN Special Session on Istanbul +5), Organized by IRFD, Columbia University, New York, June 4-6, 2001.

Kefa M. Otiso, 2001. “The Internet and Socioeconomic Development in Africa.” Presented at the Annual Association of American Geographers’ Conference, New York, NY, February 27- March 3, 2001.

News Stories:

BGSU’s Kefa Otiso honored by president of Kenya (May, 2009)