Chama and group account opening, with every official and member on the record.
Groups open accounts through their officials, but their risk sits in the membership. BAOS records the group, its officials, the member register and the meeting that resolved to open the account, with the group's documents and each signatory's ID, then sends the application through the same review workflow as every other account.
- 9group types, from chamas and welfare groups to church and school committees
- 2–4officials who sign, in the starter form
- 3–50members in the starter member register
- 8document slots in the Kenya chama pack
What BAOS records for a group.
The group form is one of BAOS's four applicant kinds. It ships as a draft your team reviews, adapts and publishes.
Nine group types
Chama or investment group, welfare group, self-help group, investment club, community-based organisation, SACCO, church or religious group, school or college committee, or other, with the registration number, who the group is registered with, the date its constitution was adopted, its member count and how often it meets.
Officials who sign
The chairperson, secretary, treasurer or committee members who will operate the account, each with ID, contact details and the office they hold. They feed the same mandate a company's directors do.
The member register
Every member with ID type and number, role, mobile number and the date they joined. The starter register takes 3 to 50 members, and your team can change the limits.
The meeting resolution
The minutes of the meeting that resolved to open the account: the date, the members present, and three confirmations that the meeting resolved to open it, appointed the officials named as signatories and accepted your terms.
The signing mandate
Eight operating mandates, from any two to sign to all to sign, or a special mandate written out, such as two officials, one of them the treasurer.
The whole group listed for screening
BAOS lists the group itself, every member (officials first) and every signatory for screening, each person once. The screening runs in your screening tool.
The Kenya group / chama starter form, step by step.
The Kenya chama template runs in six steps.
- 1About the group
Group details, and where the group meets.
- 2Account selection
Product, currency and branch.
- 3Officials and members
Two to four officials, the member register, and the account operating instructions.
- 4Declarations
Politically exposed persons and the source of funds.
- 5Channels and alerts
Account facilities and up to four transaction-alert contacts.
- 6Confirm and submit
The resolution to open the account, declarations, documents and a final review.
Its document pack
| Document | For | Required / Optional |
|---|---|---|
| Group registration certificate | Group | Required |
| Constitution or by-laws | Group | Required |
| Minutes of the meeting resolving to open the account | Group | Required |
| Signed member list | Group | Required |
| Group KRA PIN certificate | Group | Optional |
| ID or passport copy | Each signatory | Required |
| Passport-size photograph | Each signatory | Required |
| ID copy | Each member | Required |
Kenya's rules for group accounts, and where they land.
Kenyan law says less about groups than most checklists suggest, so each bank's own policy decides much of the list. This is what the law and guidance do say.
| The rule | Recorded in BAOS | Outside BAOS |
|---|---|---|
| No regulation covers unincorporated associations, clubs or chamas. CBK's beneficial-ownership guidance points banks to the office bearers of clubs and societies, and its CDD guidance counts associations among legal persons.POCAML Regulations 2023 (no group rule found); CBK BO guidance 4.4; CBK CDD guidance 1.4.7 | The group, its officials and its members as separate records, so your policy decides what to collect. | Your group-account policy. |
| Officials act on the group's behalf: verify each one's authority, then identify and verify them.POCAMLA s.45(3); reg 23; CBK CDD guidance 3.4.2 | Officials as signatories with their IDs, the resolution that appoints them, and the mandate. | ID checks for each official, with your verification provider. |
| The Community Groups Registration Act has applied since 26 July 2022, but on 10 September 2026 the High Court declared it unconstitutional, suspended until midnight on 10 February 2027. Associations of ten or more can also register under the Societies Act.Cap. 108A; [2026] KEHC 13419 (KLR); Societies Act s.2 and s.10(3) | The registration number, who the group is registered with, and the certificate as a document slot your team can make optional. | Any registry check: we found no primary source describing one for community groups. |
| A SACCO onboarding a group member takes its certificate of registration, evidence of the registered address where applicable, and the identities of its officials or signatories.SASRA/GG/1/2024 §6.1.1(1)(c) | The same group form, published by the SACCO for groups joining as members. | Verification from a reliable, independent source such as IPRS (§6.1.1(2)). |
| Bank practice, not law: one Kenyan bank's checklist asks informal groups only for each signatory's photo, ID and KRA PIN; another bank states that no group KRA PIN is needed.Published bank checklists, 2025 and 2026 | The group KRA PIN is optional in the starter pack, and rules can drop the registration certificate for groups that say they are unregistered. | Your own checklist. |
Summaries of Creodata's Kenya fact sheet, checked against primary sources on 8 October 2026. Not legal advice.
- It does not verify officials' or members' IDs against IPRS, or search any group register.
- One person enters the whole group: officials and members cannot complete their own parts.
- It lists the group, its members and its signatories for screening, but the screening runs in your screening tool.
Frequently asked questions.
What does a bank need to open a chama account in Kenya?
Usually the group's constitution, minutes naming the signatories, each official's ID (and often a KRA PIN) and a member list, plus a registration certificate where the group has one. No Kenyan law we found says an unregistered group cannot open an account, so the list is set by each bank's policy.
Can a SACCO use the group form for group members?
Yes. The SACCO publishes the group form for groups joining as members. SASRA's guideline asks for the certificate of registration and the identities of the officials or signatories.
How many members can a group application hold?
The starter register takes 3 to 50 members, each with ID, role and mobile number. Your team can change the limits in the form builder.
Does every member have to sign?
No. Officials sign under the mandate the group chose. Members are recorded in the register with their IDs and listed for screening.
Is the group form ready to use?
It ships as a draft, the Kenya group / chama template, which your team reviews, adapts and publishes. The business form is the only one published by default.
See it with your own forms.
Bring your account types and your document checklists to a live demo, and see an application go from the applicant to your reviewers.