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Free Delivery Within 1 km: Exactly How It Works (and When It Doesn’t)
Qavaeat waives the delivery fee when you schedule meals ahead into a delivery pool and your address is within 1 km of the partner kitchen preparing them. Beyond 1 km, a distance fee applies. Instant orders are not eligible and carry a delivery fee of KES 150–350.
“Free delivery” is one of the most over-used phrases in food ordering, and it often comes with fine print you only discover at checkout. So here is the whole rule, including the parts that are less flattering.
The rule in one sentence
Schedule ahead, into a pool, from a kitchen within 1 km of where the food is going, and the delivery fee is KES 0.
The three conditions
You schedule ahead into a pool. Free delivery applies to scheduled meals in a delivery pool, ordered before the cut-off (45 minutes before the window starts).
The 1 km is measured from the partner kitchen. Not from your office or the nearest main road. This is why the planner shows kitchens nearest to your estate or building.
It is a scheduled order, not an instant one. Instant orders are dispatched individually and carry a fee of KES 150–350.
Three meals, KES 1,710, and nothing added for delivery because each delivery falls within 1 km of its kitchen. Compare that with three instant orders: at KES 150–350 each, delivery alone would add KES 450–1,050.
What happens beyond 1 km
If your address is farther than 1 km from the kitchen, you still can order into a pool. You pay a distance fee calculated from road distance, shown at checkout before you pay. [CONFIRM and add the current fee tiers here.]
The practical tip is simple: if the fee bothers you, choose a kitchen closer to you. Because a weekly plan can use a different kitchen each day, you can often build a week where every meal is inside 1 km.
What if you only ordered instant by habit?
Before you check out, you can switch an instant order from Deliver Now to an upcoming lunch pool. If you are within 1 km of that kitchen, the delivery fee is waived. The trade-off is time: you wait for the pool window instead of getting food in about 35–55 minutes.
Why can delivery be free?
Pooling meals into one batch run replaces many separate dispatches with one. That grouping is what allows Qavaeat to waive the fee for short, scheduled routes.
Is it right for you?
A good fit: you eat prepared meals several times a week and can plan a day ahead.
Not ideal if: you want food right now, or you live far from every partner kitchen.
Frequently asked questions
How does free delivery within 1 km work? When you schedule meals ahead into a delivery pool, Qavaeat waives the delivery fee if your address is within 1 km of the partner kitchen. Beyond 1 km, a distance fee applies.
Is the 1 km measured from my office or from the kitchen? It is measured from the partner kitchen preparing your meal to your delivery address.
Do instant orders get free delivery? No. Instant orders carry a delivery fee of KES 150–350 and are not eligible for the pool fee waiver.
Can I get free delivery on an instant order? Yes, by switching it to an upcoming lunch pool before checkout, if you are within 1 km of the kitchen.
Can I use different kitchens in one week? Yes. In a weekly plan you can choose a different partner kitchen each day.
Related reading:
- What is a delivery pool?
- Delivery fees in Nairobi, explained
- Plan my week
Written by
Keith Koki
An experienced content writer
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