Prof. David Ogoti Ongarora
Prof. David Ogoti Ongarora, PhD is a Kenyan linguist and Deputy Vice-Chancellor in charge of Administration, Finance and Development at Maseno University (since August 2026, after acting in the role from December 2025). He is also Associate Professor of Linguistics in the Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies, where he has taught since 1998.
His research is in syntactic and morphological theory within generative linguistics, with a focus on Bantu languages, especially Eke-Gusii, and on language and communication. He holds a BEd (Kenyatta University), an MA (Egerton University) and a PhD in Linguistics (Jawaharlal Nehru University, India). His doctoral thesis was “Bantu Morpho-syntax: A Study of Eke-Gusii”.
He has been Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Maseno since 2016 and is Academic Leader of the MA and PhD Linguistics programmes. He has supervised more than 20 PhD and MA theses and examined many others.
Publications
- Omari, R., Mecha, G. and Ongarora, D. Elliptical licensing of coordinate structures in Eke-Gusii and the Fregean boundary. Journal of Semantics.
- Omari, R., Ongarora, D. and Mecha, G. Ellipsis and Coordination in Eke-Gusii. Concentric: Studies in Linguistics.
Selected journal articles
- Lihemo, M. L., Ongarora, D. O. and Okello, J. (2024). Semantic role-marking in Lu-Nyore morphology and syntax. East African Scholars Multidisciplinary Bulletin 7(07), 122–126.
- Maina, A. O., Okelo, J. A. and Ongarora, D. O. (2022). The Morpho-semantics of Reduplication in Lu-Kisa Dialect. Indiana Journal of Arts and Literature 3(5), 1–12.
- Otieno, R., Mecha, E. and Ongarora, D. O. (2019). Coordinate Ellipsis in Eke-Gusii: an Overview. Jadavpur Journal of Languages and Linguistics 3, 106–115.
- Mboga, J., Ondondo, E. and Ongarora, D. O. (2019). Eke-Gusii subject and object markers: affixes or clitics? The Multilingual Academic Journal of Education and Social Sciences.
- Oyioka, D., Ojwang’, B. and Ongarora, D. O. (2015). NP-trace in Eke-Gusii. International Journal of Language and Linguistics 2(4), 103–112.
- Okello, J., Ogone, O. and Ongarora, D. O. (2016). Feature correspondence amongst Dho-Luo coronals. International Journal of Social Science and Technology 1(2), 26–39.
- Nyakoe, D., Ongarora, D. O. and Matu, P. (2012). Conceptualization of ‘Death’ is a journey and ‘Death as Rest’ in Eke-Gusii euphemism. Theory and Practice in Language Studies 2(7), 1452–1457.
Books and chapters
- Oyioka, D., Ojwang’, B. and Ongarora, D. O. (2018). The syntax of wh-trace in Eke-Gusii. Lambert Academic Publishing.
- Njoroge, M., et al., including Ongarora, D. (2013). A unified orthography for Bantu languages of Kenya. CASAS Monograph No. 249.
- Ongarora, D. (2011). Agreement phenomena in Bantu. In N. Ogechi (ed.), Themes in Language, Literature and Education in Kenya. Nsemia Inc.
- Ongarora, D. (2006). Language and nationalism. In J. Kamenju & P. Okoth (eds.), Power Play and Policy in Kenya. Oakland Books, 383–395.
- Ongarora, D. (2002). African languages in development: encumbrances and prospects. In F. R. Owino (ed.), Speaking African. CASAS, 65–75.