How To Open a CDS Account at the Central Bank Remotely

Ready to Invest? Let’s Get You Started with Treasury Bills!

If you’ve ever thought about giving the government a “loan” and then watching them pay you back with a little extra on top, Treasury Bills are your golden ticket! Forget about hiding your cash under the mattress or trusting that your favorite app won’t crash when you need it most—T-Bills are a safe, solid option. Think of it like lending money to that super reliable friend who *always* pays you back on time, except this friend is the government, and they’re surprisingly punctual.

1. Open a CBK DhowCSD Account

First things first, if you want to dive into the world of Treasury Bills, you’ll need to open a CDS account (no, not the kind with a stack of old CDs you forgot about). This is the Central Depository System account, and it’s where all your T-Bill magic happens. You can either access the CBK DhowCSD platform online or download the DhowCSD app from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Opening an account is faster than waiting for a SuperMetro during rush hour—you’ll be up and running within 24 hours. Seriously!

• Download the app from your app store of choice.
• Have digital copies of your ID, passport photo, and KRA pin ready to upload (yes, that passport photo from three years ago will do).
• Create or activate your account, and you're good to go. Please note;if you were already in the old system (DhowCSD has been improved) or already have a CDS Account, it's just a matter of activation.

2. Choose How You Want to Invest

Now, once your account is set up, it’s time to decide how long you want to lend the government your hard-earned cash. Treasury Bills come in three flavors: 91 days (quick and sweet), 182 days (medium commitment), and 364 days (just under a year, enough time to feel like a serious investor). Each week, CBK offers these T-Bills, and you get to pick which one suits your financial goals.

• Minimum purchase is Kshs 50,000 for non-competitive bids (which is a fancy way of saying you accept whatever interest rate is set).
• For competitive bids, where you specify your preferred rate, the minimum is Kshs 2 million (so maybe leave that option for when you're feeling flush).

3. Place Your Bid

Now comes the fun part—placing your bid! You can do this directly from the DhowCSD app or web portal. Just navigate to the Auctions section and select your preferred T-Bill (91, 182, or 364 days). Here's the catch: you won’t be specifying an interest rate unless you're making a competitive bid. For most of us, just plop in the amount you want to invest, and boom, you’re in the game!

• Log into your DhowCSD app or portal.
• Select your desired T-Bill tenure.
• Place your bid and wait for CBK to approve it—then sit back and relax!

The approval takes less than 24 hours, so don’t worry—you’ll know pretty quickly if your bid was accepted. Once approved, congratulations—you’re now a proud investor! Call your friends, send a WhatsApp message to your family group, or post it on Instagram—it’s bragging time.

4. Auction Results and Payment

After placing your bid, CBK will announce the auction results (usually on Thursdays). You can check if you were successful on the CBK website or directly on your DhowCSD account at the Bids section. If you won the bid, you’ll need to pay up by 2pm on the following Monday. Don’t worry—you’ll get detailed instructions on how to make your payment - it will be an RTGS to your cds account through your commercial bank (only RTGS, no, you can’t pay in Bitcoin, cash, cheque etc just yet).

When making the payment, have these details ready: Your CSD Account Number, the Amount Payable, and your Payment Key. These are right there in your Dhow CSD portal. Remember, you can’t pay with exposure or promises of future talent—CBK deals in cold, hard RTGS cash transfer, or at least, the digital equivalent. I'm insisting on this so that you prepare yourself in advance before the payment window opens and shuts before you fulfil your bid. (Mondays 9 to 2 pm). Failure to fulfil your promise to do the transfer without a valid reason might render you blacklisted and banned forever from lending to the government.

5. Cashing In: Maturity and Your Payday

When your T-Bill matures (whether it’s 91, 182, or 364 days later), you’ll get the full face value of the bill back, which is more than you initially invested. That’s the beauty of T-Bills—you don’t get periodic interest payments, but when the day comes, it’s all yours in one neat lump sum.

And that’s it! You’ve officially joined the ranks of T-Bill investors. Next time someone asks you how your money’s doing, you can confidently tell them, "I’ve got the government paying me back with interest!" Now go on, enjoy that payday, and maybe treat yourself to something nice—you deserve it!

6. Use of T-bill Maturities to Pay for Successful Bids

Got some T-bills maturing soon? You’re in luck! You can perform a nifty little move called “netting” to make sure you’re not dipping into new funds for your latest bids. Here’s how you can do it:

• Log in to the DhowCSD web portal and head to the “My Account Information” tab, then to “CSD Linking”.
• Or, if you’re a mobile-first kinda person, open the DhowCSD app, go to “Settings”, then “Account”.

By activating the netting flag, you’ll allow the system to use your maturing T-bills to offset your new bid. Any extra funds will either be refunded or, if you owe a bit more, you’ll top up the difference. Think of it like paying with the cash under your couch cushions—except, you know, less dusty.

And there you have it, savvy investor! You've mastered the fine art of T-bills. Now all that's left is to sit back, wait for your return, and maybe boast a little at your next get-together. “Oh, me? Yeah, I just made some moves with my T-bill investments. No big deal.”