Safaricom is one of the biggest and most profitable companies in Kenya.
Despite increased competition from Airtel and other players, Safaricom has been among the best companies in share trading for some time now- its share value has risen exponentially over time.
How To Buy Safaricom Shares In Kenya
There are different ways in which you can purchase your Safaricom shares;
- Through your stock broker
- Online
And you can pay either via
- Cash (or money in your account)
- MPesa
- Bonga points
Please note that in all cases, you need a CDS account to be able to buy Safaricom shares in Kenya (in fact, you cannot buy/sell NSE-listed shares in Kenya without a CDS account).
Before we go through each of the methods, here is how to open a CDS account in Kenya (a CDS account is a virtual account –almost like your MPESA account- where your shares are stored).
Step 1: Visit any Central Bank of Kenya branch or your preferred stock broker (or even your bank if they offer stock brokerage services)
Step 2: Present the following documents (these are the requirements to open a CDS account in Kenya) to your broker (bank or any of the individual stock brokers in Kenya).
- 2 recently taken passport-size photographs
- Original National ID/passport (or the original incorporation certificate if you are a company plus the individual IDs/passports of the directors and their passport-size photographs).
- Bank statement (some brokers ask for this or a utility bill)
You will fill in a given form (CDS1) and get your CDS account number.
How to open a CDS Account online in Kenya
You can do that either through any good online share trading Mobile App such as ‘AIB DigiTrader’ (you can download it from GooglePlaystore/Windows/Apple store).
Also, you may choose a USSD service.
To illustrate:
- Simply press USSD *543# (this USSD code takes you to the AIB-AXYS capital platform).
- Next, click “open new trading account”.
After you submit the required details, your CDSC number will be sent to you within one working day.
- Be sure to use your CDSC account details to register officially on the AIB-AXYS platform(online platform/Mobile App).
- You will finally receive a login name and password.
If you’re using USSD, once again dial *543# to activate your trading account -an SMS message with your PIN is sent to you.