In short
- Your shares are recorded at CDSC in your own name. Your broker places trades; CDSC keeps the register.
- CDSC sends a statement at the end of any month in which your account had activity.
- An interim statement, on request, costs KES 50. Delivery by email is free.
- Keep your phone number, email and bank details current — stale contacts are the main reason dividends go missing.
Plenty of Kenyans own shares and have no idea what they hold. Some inherited them, some bought during an IPO years ago, some have simply not looked since. The record exists either way, and it is not held by your broker — it is at the Central Depository & Settlement Corporation (CDSC), in a CDS account in your name.
Here is how to look at it.
What a CDS account actually is
When you open a CDS account through a stockbroker, that broker acts as your Central Depository Agent (CDA). The shares are then held electronically against your name. The broker executes trades for you, but your ownership does not sit on their books, which is why a broker’s troubles do not change who owns the shares.
That also means there are two places to look for information, and they answer different questions:
- Your broker — orders, contract notes, cash in your trading account.
- CDSC — what securities you hold, and every movement in and out of the account.
Four ways to see what you hold
1. The monthly statement
If your account had activity in a given month, CDSC issues a statement at the end of it. No activity, no statement — so silence does not mean something is wrong.
2. An interim statement on request
You can ask for a statement at any time. CDSC charges KES 50 per interim statement. Request it through your CDA, the broker who opened the account.
3. By email, free
Statements can be delivered to your email address at no charge, which is also the fastest way to keep an eye on an account you do not trade often. If CDSC has no email for you, or the wrong one, your CDA is the one to update it.
4. On your phone
CDSC runs an SMS service for viewing your statements on a mobile phone. You register by sending the word Register to 22372, and the instructions come back by SMS. Each message costs KES 10.
If you trade through a broker’s own app, or through an app-based route like Ziidi Trader, the app shows your position too — but note that a pooled service may not give you a personal CDS account at all, which is the main difference to understand before choosing one.
See this on the NSE, not in theory
Ipahco screens every company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, tracks dividends and shows you which licensed brokers will open an account for you.
“I don’t know who my broker is any more”
This is more common than you would think, especially with shares bought in the 2006–2008 IPO rush.
- Start with CDSC. Contact CDSC with your ID details and ask which CDA holds your account. Their helpdesk address is published on their site.
- If the broker no longer operates, CDSC can tell you what happened to accounts it held, and the CMA’s register shows who is currently licensed.
- Check for money that has already been swept up. Dividends that went unclaimed for three years will have been handed to the state’s Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority. Our guide to unclaimed dividends in Kenya explains how to search for them and claim them back.
Moving your account to another broker
You are not tied to the broker who opened the account. A transfer is done with CDSC’s securities transfer form — CDS 4A signed by your current CDA and CDS 4B by the new one. The shares stay yours throughout; nothing is sold. How to choose a stockbroker covers what to look for in the one you are moving to.
Paper certificates
Shares held as printed certificates are not in the system at all and cannot be traded. They have to be deposited into a CDS account first — CDSC calls it immobilisation — and once that is done the certificate is not reissued. The CDS statement becomes your proof of ownership.
Keep four details current
Most “lost” money is not lost. It is sitting somewhere, addressed to details that have changed. Tell your CDA when any of these change:
- Phone number
- Email address
- Postal or physical address
- Bank account or M-Pesa number used for dividend payments
The same details drive dividend payments, which is why a stale record quietly becomes an unclaimed asset three years later.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check my CDS account balance in Kenya?
Ask your stockbroker — your CDA — for a statement, register for CDSC’s SMS service by sending Register to 22372, or have statements emailed to you free of charge. CDSC also issues a statement at the end of any month in which your account had activity.
How much does a CDS statement cost?
An interim statement requested on demand costs KES 50. Email delivery of statements is free, and the end-of-month statement after an active month comes at no extra cost.
Can I see my shares without going through my broker?
The record is held by CDSC, and the routes to it — statements, email delivery, the SMS service — are CDSC’s. Your CDA is normally the one who sets them up for you.
What happens to my CDS account if my stockbroker closes?
Your shares remain registered to you at CDSC. The account is transferred to another Central Depository Agent; the holdings are not part of the broker’s assets.
How do I move my CDS account to a different broker?
Complete CDSC’s securities transfer form — CDS 4A at your current broker, CDS 4B at the new one. Both must sign. Your shares move without being sold.
Education, not investment advice. Charges quoted are CDSC’s published figures; your broker may add its own, so ask.