The Central Depository and Settlement Corporation Limited (CDSC), hereby issues a clarification on frozen accounts following an article first published by the Business Daily Newspaper on September 11, 2024. 

CDS Account Dormancy was first introduced in March 2019 as a fraud prevention mechanism to protect investor assets. An account was marked dormant to prevent any activity on the account if there was no recorded transaction for a continuous period of 24 months (2 years). However, following significant enhancements to the technology, processes, controls, and surveillance of the Central Depository System (CDS), it was no longer necessary to mark accounts as dormant.

Therefore, in Q4 2022, the CDSC lifted dormancy on all affected accounts and revised the requisite rules and procedures. This resulted in 81,890 accounts participating in trading between January 2022 and December 2023. For the avoidance of doubt, an account that has not had trading activity for a continuous period can be said to be “inactive” but not dormant.

The CDSC requests the public to note the above and to take advantage of the attractive opportunities in our market, in consultation with Capital Markets Authority (CMA) licensed stockbrokers, custodians, and advisors.

You can find any additional information on our rules, procedures, and services on our website under the rules and procedures tab or reach out to us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or +254 20 2912000.