Adaptive coevolution: realigning the water governance regime to the changing climate

Climate change is having a significant impact on water resources globally; more so in developing countries due to lower resilience and weakened coping mechanisms. Water resource and supply management systems need to be adaptive to the uncertainty and unpredictability posed by this challenge. The current water crisis is mainly that of governance within the water sector. On this premise, this chapter seeks to explore the adaptiveness of water management institutions and systems to climate change impacts, with a focus on Kenya's case. Kenya continues to face numerous challenges relating to water supply, which are further exacerbated by climate change. Prior to the development of key legislative and institutional frameworks, through adoption of the Water Act 2002, the water sector grappled with gross mismanagement, manifested via inefficiency in water service provision and resource degradation. Deploying the conceptual model of adaptive (co)-management institutional prescription of polycentric governance, experimentation, public participation, and management of bioregional scale, this chapter stands to contribute novel insights into designing sustainable, adaptive water governance regimes.