Frequently Asked Questions

Kadi is Kenya's most popular card game — a fast-paced shedding game similar to Crazy Eights or UNO, but with unique penalty stacking, special card mechanics, and the iconic "Niko Kadi!" declaration. We've brought it online so you can play from anywhere.

No! Kadi runs in your browser on any device — phone, tablet, or computer. You can also add it to your home screen as a PWA (Progressive Web App) for an app-like experience.

You can start playing immediately as a guest — no signup required. Guest accounts get 5 free games per day. Create a free account to unlock 25 daily games, ELO rankings, and permanent progress tracking.

Yes! Kadi is completely free to play. You earn coins by winning games which can be used for tournaments and cosmetics. Optional gem purchases (via M-Pesa) are available for players who want extra customization, but there is no pay-to-win advantage.

Tap or click a card in your hand that matches the top card on the discard pile by suit or rank. If no card matches, tap the draw pile to pick up a card. You can also drag and rearrange cards in your hand with a long press.

"Niko Kadi" means "I'm at Kadi" in Swahili — it's your declaration that you're about to win. You must declare it when you have exactly 2 cards left, before playing your penultimate card. Forget to declare and you'll draw a penalty card!

In Classic mode, you can only finish with plain cards (4 through 10). No Aces, penalty cards (2, 3, Joker), or command cards (J, K, 8, Q) as your final card. In Quick mode, any non-penalty card can be a finisher.

When someone plays a 2, 3, or Joker against you, you can stack a card of the same rank to pass the penalty to the next player. For example, if someone plays a 2 (draw 2), you can play another 2 to make the next player draw 4. In Stacking Mayhem mode, you can cross-stack — play a 3 on a 2, or a 2 on a Joker!

When you play an 8 or Queen, you get to play again immediately — the card "asks a question" that you answer with your next play. This lets you chain two plays in a row, which is useful for changing suits or getting rid of multiple cards quickly.

Yes! In Classic and most modes, playing an Ace blocks any incoming penalty (2, 3, or Joker). The Ace loses its suit-demand power when used as a blocker. In Strict mode, Ace blocking is disabled.

Yes! Create a room, customize the rules however you like, and share the invite link with friends via WhatsApp or any messaging app. You can also make rooms public so anyone can join.

Kadi uses the ELO system (like chess) to rate players. You start at 1200. Beat higher-rated players to gain more points; lose to lower-rated players and you'll drop more. It's the fairest way to measure skill over time.

You can always play! Games have no coin entry fee — you'll just earn coins from wins. Coins are only spent on optional items like tournament entries.

Crews are teams of players. Create or join a crew, compete together in crew wars, and climb the crew leaderboard. Crews have a hierarchy: Owner, Vice, Elder, and Members — each with different management permissions.

Daily and weekly tournaments are auto-generated. Pay the entry fee in coins, play your games during the tournament window, and the top players split the prize pool. Tournament performance also contributes to your season ranking.

Every registered player gets a unique referral code. Share it with friends — when they sign up using your code, both of you earn bonus coins. Find your referral link on your profile page.

Absolutely! Kadi is built mobile-first. It works on any modern browser (Chrome, Safari, Firefox). Add it to your home screen for the best experience — it works like a native app with offline support.

Every game is automatically recorded. After a game finishes, you can view a step-by-step replay showing every move. Replays have shareable links — send them to friends to show off your best plays.

Kadi uses server-side validation — every move is verified on our servers before it's accepted. Your opponents never see your cards (the server only sends their hand count, not the actual cards). The game engine uses seeded random number generation for reproducibility and fairness.