← learn · guide · verified as of 2026-07-10
NSE stocks
Buying a share means owning a small piece of a company listed on the Nairobi Securities Exchange, held electronically in your own CDS account — no paper certificate.
from ~KES 12–3 working days (one broker's stated timeline; CDSC does not publish a universal SLA)risk 4/5
Steps
- 1Pick a CMA-licensed stockbroker or investment bank to act as your Central Depository Agent (CDA) — see the alphabetical list below.
- 2Complete and sign the Securities Account Opening Form (CDS 1) with your chosen CDA, in person or via their app.
- 3Submit your original ID or passport, two passport-size photos, and KRA PIN.
- 4Receive your CDS account number — CDSC does not require a minimum balance to open one.
- 5Fund your trading account with your broker and place your first buy order — one share is the legal minimum order.
By the end you have a funded CDS account and can place a buy order on any NSE-listed counter.
Costs & taxes
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| CDS account opening | No CDSC-mandated fee | CDSC's own site publishes no opening fee; some brokers charge a small monthly account fee only in months you trade — confirm with your chosen broker. |
| Brokerage commission | ~1.5%–2.1% of trade value (broker-set) | No NSE/CMA document sets a fixed commission — it is broker-set. Two brokers publish 1.76–2.1% below KES 100,000 and 1.5–1.84% above; always check your broker's own rate card. |
| CDSC transaction levy | 0.08% of trade value | Published directly on CDSC's own fee schedule. |
| Dividend withholding tax | 5% (resident individuals) | Final tax, deducted at source — see /help for how this interacts with your yield figures. |
Risk
Medium-high risk: a share's price moves with the company and the market, and dividends are never guaranteed — see this counter's own confidence grade and risk flags before reading any figure as settled.
Medium-high (equities, leveraged special funds)
CMA-licensed stockbrokers (alphabetical — not ranked)
- ABC CapitalLicensed stockbroker
- AIB-AXYS Africa LimitedLicensed stockbroker
- EFG Hermes Kenya LimitedLicensed stockbroker
- Francis Drummond and Company LimitedLicensed stockbroker
- Kestrel Capital (East Africa) LimitedLicensed stockbroker
- Kingdom Securities LimitedLicensed stockbroker
- Suntra Investments LimitedLicensed stockbroker
See it in the product
Sources
- What a CDS account is — https://cdsckenya.com/faq/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- Account-opening steps + required documents — https://cdsckenya.com/faq/ ; https://cdsckenya.com/account-opening/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- No CDSC-mandated minimum balance to open a CDS account — https://cdsckenya.com/faq/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- 2 working days activation (one broker's stated timeline, not a CDSC-wide SLA) — https://kingdomsecurities.co.ke/how-to/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- CMA-licensed stockbrokers list — https://licensees.cma.or.ke/licenses/4/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- No regulatory commission cap found; broker-published commissions 1.5%–2.1% — https://www.abccapital.co.ke/faqtwo/ ; https://fib.co.ke/faqs/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- CDSC transaction levy 0.08% — https://cdsckenya.com/cdsc-fees/ · retrieved 2026-07-10
- Minimum order 1 share; T+2 settlement — NSE_REFERENCE.md §2.3 (product reference doc) · retrieved previously verified, product reference
- Dividend WHT 5% for resident individuals — https://www.kra.go.ke/individual/filing-paying/types-of-taxes/individual-withholding-tax · retrieved 2026-07-10
- Cheapest live counter illustration (MSC, KES 0.27/share) — our own live pipeline, /stocks · retrieved 2026-07-09
Automated analysis for information & education. Not investment advice. For advice tailored to your situation, consult a CMA-licensed investment adviser.