James Kigutu is a senior water and sanitation specialist with over 15 years of experience in water sector regulation, policy development, institutional strengthening and infrastructure development. He currently serves as Senior WASH Specialist – Policies, Institutions and Regulation at Aguaconsult, advising governments, regulators, utilities and development partners on sector policy, regulatory frameworks, institutional reform and service delivery. Previously, he was Director of Licensing, Standards and Tariffs at Kenya’s Water Services Regulatory Board (WASREB), where he provided strategic leadership in licensing, tariff regulation, service standards, regulatory compliance and utility performance improvement.

A Registered Professional Engineer and Certified Consulting Engineer with the Engineers Board of Kenya, and a Corporate Member of the Institution of Engineers of Kenya, James holds an MBA from United States International University–Africa, an MSc in Water Resources Engineering and Management from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and a BSc in Civil Engineering from the University of Nairobi. He has also completed executive training in utility regulation and strategy at the University of Florida, USA, and public policy at Strathmore University, Kenya.

James’s multidisciplinary expertise integrates economic regulation, legislative and policy reform, tariff-setting, institutional governance, utility performance improvement, and climate-resilient water, sanitation and irrigation service delivery. He brings a strong blend of regulatory leadership, strategic policy development and technical expertise in advancing sustainable water sector development. He is fluent in English and Swahili, with intermediate proficiency in German and basic proficiency in French.