The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA) provided technical assistance to the World Bank Group which is supervising the Government of Kenya’s implementation of the Kenya Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Program (K-WASH). The program aims to expand sustainable access to climate-resilient water and sanitation services, eliminate open defecation, and improve the financial performance of Water Service Providers across 19 counties, including refugee-hosting counties. GCA’s support focused on strengthening climate resilience in county water sector planning, investment prioritization, and capacity building. 

GCA supported counties to integrate climate risk and adaptation into County-wide Water and Sanitation Strategies and Investment Plans (CWSSIPs), including through detailed climate risk and vulnerability assessments in Tana River and Murang’a and guidance to additional counties. GCA also developed a catalogue of locally appropriate nature-based and hybrid solutions, such as wetland buffers and recharge trenches, and helped ensure that county planning frameworks were climate-informed. 

To strengthen long-term capacity, GCA delivered training and knowledge support in collaboration with the Kenya School of Government and IRC WASH. This included workshops and a Climate-Resilient Water Services Masterclass using a training-of-trainers approach to build county capacity in climate risk analysis, adaptation planning, and resilient water sector investment.