574 boarding students are provided with meals prepared using institutional stoves
Moshi. The Vocational Education and Training Authority (VETA) Moshi has begun its journey to phase out the use of dirty energy and adopt clean energy solutions, a move aimed at reducing operational costs, safeguarding users’ health, and protecting the environment.
Speaking on behalf of the principal, Registrar Engineer Frank Kabipe said the institution currently has 847 students227 female and 620 male.
Among them, 574 boarding students are provided with meals prepared using institutional stoves.
“In line with the government directive encouraging institutions to abandon the use of unsustainable fuels, we have started using stoves that burn alternative charcoal (briquettes), and we are now in the process of installing gas systems. We have already signed an agreement with Taifa Gas for the supply of gas and cylinders,” said Engineer Kabipe.
At present, the college uses six briquette stoves, consuming about five tonnes per month. With each tonne costing Sh600,000, the institution spends Sh3 million monthly, a figure that has pushed the administration to speed up the transition to gas.
VETA Moshi also takes pride in producing its own stoves through students and teachers in the welding department a step that reduces costs while offering hands-on training.
Welding instructor Buruhani Rashid explained, “Using gas is much cheaper compared to charcoal. For instance, a family of six may spend over Sh120,000 per month on charcoal, whereas with gas it is around Sh52,000 for a 15-kilogram cylinder.”
He added that so far they have made more than 10 stoves for gas and briquettes for both institutional and household use, and they have already supplied seven institutions since 2024.
The college’s cook, Saaduni Ally, noted that the kitchen currently uses about seven 25-kilogram bags of briquettes daily to prepare meals for the students.
“The fuel is not so bad health-wise, but gas is safer and more cost-effective, especially when we consider environmental pollution,” he said.
The government has been urging institutions to adopt clean energy through the National Clean Cooking Strategy 2024–2034, which aims to ensure that by 2034 at least 80 percent of households use clean cooking solutions.
This story is sponsored by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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