In short
- A dividend nobody claims for three years must be surrendered to the Unclaimed Financial Assets Authority (UFAA).
- Search the register yourself: *361# on your phone, or UFAA’s online search.
- There is no deadline. Money handed over in 2014 can still be claimed today.
- Claiming is done directly with UFAA, free. Anyone demanding a cut to “recover” it for you is selling you something you can do yourself.
Every year Kenyan companies pay out dividends that never reach their owners. The shareholder moved, closed the bank account, married and changed name, or died without anyone knowing the shares existed. After a period set in law the company cannot keep the money, and it goes to the state.
That is not the end of it. The money is held for you, indefinitely, and the search is free.
How a dividend becomes “unclaimed”
Under the Unclaimed Financial Assets Act, an asset is presumed abandoned once the owner has had no contact or transaction with the holder for the dormancy period. For ownership interests — shares and the dividends on them — that period is three years. For ordinary bank deposits it is five.
At that point the company or registrar must hand the asset to UFAA, which holds it and publishes a register of names.
The usual causes are mundane:
- A dividend cheque posted to an address you left ten years ago.
- A bank account that was closed before the payment went out.
- A name on the share register that no longer matches your ID — a maiden name, an initial, a spelling.
- Shares inherited from a parent that nobody told the registrar about.
Each of those is fixable, and the fix is the same: find the record, prove it is you, claim.
Step 1: Search the register
Three routes, all free:
- USSD: dial *361# from the phone number you want to use.
- Online: UFAA’s asset search at reunify.ufaa.go.ke.
- In person: UFAA services are available at Huduma Centres countrywide.
Search your own name, and also the variations on it — the register holds what the company wrote down, not what is on your ID today. Search the names of deceased relatives whose shares may never have been transferred.
Step 2: Check the share register as well
UFAA holds what has already been surrendered. A dividend declared more recently may still be sitting with the company’s share registrar — the firm that maintains its shareholder list. Your CDS statement tells you what you hold; CDSC publishes the list of registrars for listed companies, and the registrar can tell you which payments were made and which bounced.
If you still hold the shares, this is also the moment to update your details so it does not happen again. Our guide to dividends in Kenya explains book closure, withholding tax and the payment timetable.
Step 3: File the claim
UFAA uses different forms depending on who is claiming. Each is commissioned by a lawyer, and all of them are accompanied by Form 5, an indemnity agreement.
| Who is claiming | Form |
|---|---|
| The owner, living | Form 4A |
| A beneficiary of a deceased owner | Form 4B |
| A company or other entity | Form 4C |
| An agent with power of attorney, or a guardian claiming for a minor | Form 4D |
Alongside the form, an individual claim typically needs:
- The original letter from the holder — the company, bank or registrar — confirming the asset was remitted to UFAA
- A certified copy of your national ID or passport
- A copy of your KRA PIN certificate
- A completed payment details form
- A bank or M-Pesa statement showing the account name and number the money should go to
- An affidavit, where the names on your documents do not match exactly
A claim on behalf of someone who has died additionally needs the death certificate and a certificate of confirmation of grant from the High Court, or a certificate of summary administration. This is the step that stops most family claims, and it is worth starting early.
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.
What it costs
UFAA does not charge a fee to file a claim. You will pay a commissioner for oaths for the forms, and possibly a lawyer if an estate is involved — but the claim itself is free.
Treat anyone who approaches you offering to “unlock” your unclaimed money for a percentage with suspicion. The register is public, the search is free, and UFAA will deal with you directly.
If you find nothing
Two possibilities. Either nothing of yours has been surrendered — in which case any unpaid dividend is still with the registrar, and that is where to ask — or the record is under a name you have not tried. Search again with initials, a maiden name, a middle name, and the spellings a clerk might have used.
Frequently asked questions
How do I check for unclaimed money in Kenya?
Dial *361#, or use UFAA’s online asset search. Both are free, and UFAA services are also available at Huduma Centres.
How long do I have to claim unclaimed dividends?
There is no deadline. UFAA holds surrendered assets until the rightful owner or their beneficiary claims them.
After how long do dividends become unclaimed?
Three years. Ownership interests, which include shares and their dividends, are presumed abandoned after three years without contact between the owner and the holder.
Can I claim my late father’s unclaimed shares?
Yes, as the person legally entitled to administer the estate. That means Form 4B plus the death certificate and a certificate of confirmation of grant from the High Court, or summary administration where that applies.
Does UFAA charge to process a claim?
No fee is charged for filing a claim. Your costs are the commissioning of the forms and any legal help you choose to use.
Education, not investment advice. Forms and requirements are UFAA’s and can change — confirm the current list on UFAA’s own site before you pay a commissioner for oaths.