In most developing regions including sub-Saharan Africa, water availability plays a critical role in supporting livelihoods,
food security and public health (Baguma et al., 2010). The bulk of countries in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) lie in water-scarce
river basins, while for those countries with available fresh water resources, poor distribution of portable water has resulted
in water shortages. Rapid population and industrial growth, coupled with declining and highly variable rainfall induced by
climate change exert pressure on water demand for domestic, agricultural and industrial uses especially in sub-Saharan
Africa (Barron, 2009). Current efforts to improve water supplies for domestic and industrial uses have largely focused on
exploitation of surface water and groundwater resources even in countries such as Zimbabwe where principles of integrated
water resources management are being promoted. On the other hand, water balance analysis suggest that rainwater from
impermeable roof surfaces in both urban and rural areas represents an under-utilized resource currently excluded in existing
water policies in SSA (Gwenzi and Nyamadzawo, 2014). Consequently, compared to surface water and groundwater
resources, there is relatively limited research on the quality and public health risks posed by water harvested from roofs