Access to adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) is recognized as a fundamental human right by the United Nations General Assembly, reinforced through Sustainable Development Goal 6: “Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.” Access to safe water and sanitation, and sound management of freshwater resources, are priority challenges that will determine the achievement of other sustainable development goals through close linkages with climate, energy, cities, the environment, food security, poverty alleviation, gender equality, and health improvement, amongst others.

With only 5 years remaining to 2030, the world is greatly off-track in achieving SDG Goal 6 to provide water and sanitation for all. 1 in 4 people globally lack safely managed drinking water in their homes while nearly half the world’s population lacks safely managed sanitation (JMP, 2023). Kenya’s progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal 6 has also been slow, with approximately 63% and 31% water and safely-managed sanitation coverage, respectively (JMP 2023). Sewerage coverage is currently approximated about 4.4 million people in 26 counties in Kenya with two-thirds of the population living within Nairobi City County (WASREB, 2024). Inadequate and unsafely managed sanitation results in the pollution of the limited water resources worsening water scarcity in the country. The consequence of climate change will further aggravate fresh water availability as it becomes more scarce, unpredictable, and polluted.

Climate change primarily leads to a water crisis, affecting the availability of freshwater resources to meet the standard water demand. Half of the global population is currently estimated to live in water-stressed areas. The global climate change crisis is increasing variability in the water cycle, thus reducing the predictability of water availability and demand, affecting water quality, exacerbating water scarcity and threatening sustainable development. This in turn poses risks for energy production, food security, human health, economic development and poverty reduction, thus seriously jeopardizing the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Changes in precipitation patterns, prolonged droughts, and over abstraction of water resources reduces the availability of safe drinking water disproportionately affecting rural and low-income communities with limited adaptive capacity. Increased flooding and extreme weather events often overwhelm sanitation infrastructure, leading to contamination of water supplies with pollutants and pathogens. Unsafe sanitation conditions and insufficient water for hygiene create significant public health risks, especially during climate-related WASH emergencies. The intersection of water scarcity, flooding, and contamination contributes to the spread of waterborne diseases. Flush rains after droughts often carry accumulated pollutants into both surface and groundwater, heightening the risk of diseases like cholera.

Increased flooding and extreme weather events often overwhelm water and sanitation infrastructure. Extreme events like floods, and landslides damage water and sanitation facilities disrupting service provision, increases costs of maintenance and often leaves communities without access to these essential services. The need for more resilient sanitation infrastructure and alternative water sources increases the cost of service provision.

Climate change impacts place poor and vulnerable communities at risk, and are compounded by contributing factors, that includes population increase, unmanaged migration. Well-designed climate resilient WASH programmes that understand and tackle the barriers faced by disadvantaged groups can foster social inclusion, thus strengthening the likelihood of sustained behaviour change and access to available, accessible, high quality, affordable and acceptable water and sanitation facilities.

The world is currently tasked with developing and implementing sustainable, adaptive pathways to safeguard water and sanitation services against challenges while on the other hand ensuring equitable access.  Policy actors must put water at the centre of any action plans to adapt and mitigate climate change. Sustainable water and sanitation management is key to adapting and mitigating climate change as well as building the resilience of societies. There is an urgent need to therefore explore new approaches in policy and governance to enhance the climate adaptability of water and sanitation systems, including regulatory reforms, adaptive planning frameworks, and stakeholder engagement.

 Emerging challenges like climate change and extreme weather events impact water availability, and can exacerbate water & sanitation challenges, yet climate resilience considerations are rarely considered in water & sanitation policies and programs. Strengthening capacities among sanitation practitioners, promoting cross-sectoral collaboration, and integrating climate resilience considerations into sanitation planning and programming are essential for enhancing resilience to disasters and climate change impacts.

Citywide Inclusive Sanitation (CWIS) approach to urban sanitation planning has emerged as a strategic response to the sanitation crisis in urban areas aiming to provide equitable and sustainable sanitation services to all residents. CWIS requires collaboration between many actors, including: national, County and city/municipalities governments; utilities and municipal service providers; business and the private sector; civil society, NGOs; donors, as well as academia and household.  CWIS approach has been adopted in Kenya, and Counties and Cities in Kenya, i.e. Nakuru, Kisumu, & Malindi are integrating inclusive sanitation planning in their quest to achieve universal coverage for their residents. Sector coordination, improved mechanisms for information exchange and joint planning to support cohesive sanitation policies & strategies remain key aspects hindering CWIS progress.

The urgency of climate change requires a futuristic approach to water security and sanitation management, strategic application of new technologies, methods or creative approaches to improve existing processes in providing solutions that can adapt to environmental and social dynamics. Technological innovations offer new tools for digital transformation; Automation, big data. Service development; service focused on customer problems. Sustainability; circular economy, renewable energy efficiency sources. Industry-specific innovations. Emerging technologies can provide resource-efficient solutions to improve water resources management at the regional & local levels. Technology can help improve operations management at the utility level by increasing efficiency, identifying leaks and therefore reducing costs. Energy efficient water and sanitation solutions can reduce the carbon footprint of water and sanitation infrastructure, including renewable energy-powered systems, energy recovery from waste, and low-energy purification technologies.

 At the same time, technological innovations can improve the reporting and monitoring of service delivery and water quality and can ensure inclusion, empowerment and participation of the most vulnerable in decision-making. It can also provide important support to increase global access to clean and safe drinking water and the accountability of service providers and allow for improved and faster data-based decision making and monitoring of WASH (water, sanitation and hygiene) initiatives in urban and rural areas. Advancements in water purification, desalination, and low-cost filtration technologies provide safe drinking water in a sustainable way highlighting accessible and climate-resilient solutions for both urban and rural communities.

 Innovative irrigation technologies have transformed agriculture water utilization to improve yield and sustainability.  The use of automated irrigation enhances managing irrigation in remote areas in monitoring soil moisture in planning and optimizing irrigation schedules according to the weather conditions. Automated irrigation technologies incorporated in drip and sprinkler irrigation systems enhance water saving and controlling water application. Water recycling for irrigation and sustainable energy efficient systems utilizing solar energy instrumental in cost reduction, sustainability, water conservation, increased crop yield and automation.

In the face of climate change, population access to water depends on credible and continuous information on availability and reliability of water resources.  Technological innovations in earth observation, geospatial technologies, machine learning and big data can help to understand localized impacts of climate change; identify specific vulnerabilities for targeted interventions like drought-prone areas requiring water-saving technologies or flood-prone areas needing better wastewater systems; and using climate models forecast changes in water cycles to prepare adaptive strategies.

 Furthermore, digital technologies can improve data transparency, accountability, and resource management within water and sanitation systems, enhancing community trust and optimizing resource allocation. Technologies exist that can be used to deliver financing and payment solutions, to collect reliable data on usage and operations, and to identify gaps and inform policy decisions.

The huge infrastructure investment needed to address the current deficit in water & sanitation coverage requires a large amount of financial resources. Kenya National Water and Sanitation Investment Plan (NAWASIP) estimates a 46% budget deficit of the Kshs. 995 billion required for Kenya to meet her Water and Sanitation Sector goals. Innovative financing for water resource and sanitation management is necessary to attract investment, create jobs, and support governments in fulfilling their water, sanitation and climate goals.

Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) through shared investment can drive the development of sustainable and climate-resilient water and sanitation systems. The Government of Kenya enacted the PPP Act  2021  as a response to this need. PPPs is a contractual arrangement between the Public and Private sector partners to deliver goods which usually involves some combination of facility design, construction/ financing operations and maintenance. The partners share the potential risks and rewards associated with the delivery of the project. These provide contractual flexibility and partnerships to identify options to safeguard continued delivery of critical infrastructure services while managing fiscal impact. They employ use of technology and digitization of processes while creating availability and ease of monitoring and at the same time improve performance and cost reduction. It reduces public spending/debt, inculcates efficiency in service delivery and innovates with new technologies usually developed by the private sector.

Climate-related financing mechanisms offer new opportunities to mobilize resources for climate-resilient water & sanitation infrastructure through regional or national climate funds. The Green Climate Fund (GCF) which supports water resilience for projects in vulnerable regions, can provide funding for large-scale projects like flood-resilient wastewater treatment plants or aquifer recharge systems. Nature-Based Solutions Financing have been successfully used for Investment in wetlands, mangroves, or urban green infrastructure for flood management and water purification. Water & sanitation projects that reduce emissions or enhance carbon sequestration can also generate carbon credits for sale in global markets. Other opportunities include leveraging financing through Water-Energy Nexus Projects like solar-powered desalination plants that provide renewable energy and potable water simultaneously.

In addition, utilities can establish dedicated funds to finance resilience-building measures to upgrade existing urban water and sewerage systems to withstand climate extremes. Dynamic pricing models that adjust tariffs to fund climate adaptation measures while promoting conservation can also be adapted with revenue from higher tariffs during water scarcity periods reinvested in resilience projects. 

Investment in research and training for water, sanitation, and resilience to climate change ensures sustainable access to essential services, protects public health, and strengthens communities against future climate shocks. Evidence-based research supports the development of policies that integrate water, sanitation, and climate resilience into national adaptation plans (NAPs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It can also provide information needed to attract climate financing, such as carbon credit markets or global climate funds, to bridge gaps in investment for water and sanitation projects.

There is an urgent need to build local expertise to implement, manage, and maintain resilient water and sanitation systems. This can be achieved through enhancing human and institutional capacity through training professionals like engineers, and water resource managers in specialized skills to design and manage resilient water and sanitation systems under climate stress. Training institutions are continually reviewing their curricula and also introducing new training programs to address emerging climate change issues. More recently, industry plays a key role in curricula development for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET). Community empowerment through training on sustainable water use and hygiene practices ensures local ownership and long-term sustainability

Collaboration among governments, NGOs, and local stakeholders is key to addressing these challenges effectively highlighting the importance of training and capacity building for community members, local authorities, and organizations. Training fosters collaboration between sectors like health, agriculture, and disaster management, ensuring comprehensive solutions to water and sanitation challenge.

It is against this background that the Water and Sanitation Providers Association (WASPA) and her partners the Ministry of Water, Sanitation & Irrigation, Council of Governors and the County of Mombasa proposes to host the Kenya Water & Sanitation International Conference & Exhibition, June 23-27, 2025

The overarching goal of the conference will be to convene experts, policymakers, industry leaders, researchers, community organizations and other relevant stakeholders to foster collaboration, share knowledge and showcase technological innovations aimed at achieving climate-adaptive, efficient, and sustainable water and sanitation systems.

Specific objectives

1. To advance policy dialogues and commitments toward resilient, sustainable water and sanitation solutions.
2. To examine emerging technologies that enable sustainable water and sanitation access amid climate impacts.
3. To highlight sustainable finance models to drive climate-resilient infrastructure projects and innovations.
4. To share insights from successful case studies in climate-resilient water and sanitation solutions
5. To foster collaboration and partnerships between technology providers, policymakers, research & academia, NGOs, and communities in provision of water and sanitation solutions

Innovation & Technology for Sustainable Pathways to Climate-Smart Water and Sanitation Solutions

Proposed Sub Themes:

1. Policy Innovation and Governance for resilient, sustainable water and sanitation
2. Innovative Financing for climate-resilient Water and Sanitation
3. Emerging Technologies for Climate-Resilient Water Resource Management
4. Innovations, Technologies and Market Opportunities for Climate-Resilient Sanitation
5. Climate Impacts on Water Resources, Irrigation and Sanitation: Research & Capacity Strengthening for Sustainable Climate-Smart Solutions