This small shrew has been recorded in wetlands and forests in Central and East Africa. A historical comparison also notes that its tail has almost no long bristles.
A 1906 comparison states that this species and C. niobe share the unusual feature of having almost no long bristles on the tail.
The 2016 assessment says it appears to depend on Cyperus swamps. Most records are from montane parts of the Albertine Rift, with some records from lowland moist forest.
An extinction-risk assessment has not been added yet.