David Munyua’s performance at the 2026 Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championship left a question needing an answer from the future. Will the world see another Kenyan darts player like him again?
The answer to that question is very soon.
Munyua, the 30-year-old veterinarian from Kabati in Murang’a County, took the world by storm with an unforgettable debut at the PDC World Darts Championships, sparking a huge interest in darts in Kenya.
Jeff Mureithi, a director at Sirua Darts, an organisation affiliated to Kenya Darts Association, has described the explosion of interest in Kenyan darts as “massive”.
“We are extremely proud of Munyua. What he has done for Kenyan darts is massive. There is now more attention on darts,” Mureithi said.
David Munyua of Kenya celebrates after beating Mike de Decker of Belgium in the 2026 Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championships on December 19, 2025 at Allexandra Palace in the United Kingdom.
Photo credit: Pool
“PDC was only used to performances by South African darts players, but Munyua’s exploits have now given African darts a new face. I think PDC has taken note and in the next one or two years, we may get slots for African players because of how Munyua performed,” Mureithi added.
Sirua Darts is an organisation affiliated to the Kenya Darts Association. They organise darts competitions all over the country and have plans of establishing an East African darts league featuring players from Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. On Monday evening, when Munyua played Doets, Sirua Darts had organised a watch party at Bar Next Door in Kileleshwa, an event which brought Kenyan darts fans and stakeholders together.
“For the longest time, we have been trying to restore the popularity of darts in Kenya to the level it was in the 1980s and 1990s. Munyua performing well has helped us reignite that interest,” Mureithi said.
“I see the performance of other Kenyan darts players improving. Munyua has opened some doors for us, and we believe now we can compete with the best in the world,” Mureithi added.
Munyua, nicknamed ‘Whynot’, had promised to showcase the best of African darts when he competes at the 2026 Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championship. He had told James Wokabi and Elijah Ouko last month during an interview on SportOn! – NTV’s Monday night sports talk show.
“Beyond aiming for the prize money, I want my performance to showcase the best of Kenyan darts because we have talented players here. I want my play at the Ally Pally to result in more slots for African players. That will make me happy,” Munyua had said.
On December 18, Munyua, the first Kenyan to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship, came from behind to win 3-2 in his First Round contest against Mike De Decker, who is Belgium’s top-ranked player and the world number 18.
David Munyua during an interview with NTV on November 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Despite falling short in his Second Round contest following a 3-0 loss to Dutchman Kevin Doets, Munyua had lived up to the promise he had made before travelling to London for the competition.
“If Munyua, who is not ranked, could beat De Decker, who is ranked 18th in the world, it means we have a lot of players capable of performing well at such a stage. I say that because Munyua does not win all the tournaments in Kenya. We have good players, and Munyua has shown what we are capable of performing well if given a platform. Now that we have a platform, Kenyan darts has a great future,” Mureithi said.
“With the President actually acknowledging Munyua’s efforts publicly, we know that the government will now give darts more support and that will help the sport go back to where it was in the 1980s and 1990s,” Mureithi added.
Darren McMahon, the Resident Director of Nodor, a company based at the Athi River Export Processing Zone, which makes dart boards used in major international competitions, was also present at the watch party at Bar Next Door. Nodor makes the Winmau dart boards, which are used at the PDC World Darts Championship.
Winmau, who sponsored Munyua’s trip to London for the competition, has had a presence in Kenya since 1999.
McMahon also hailed Munyua’s performance and spoke of receiving “lots of positive messages from the darts world” regarding Munyua’s performance.
“He got everyone’s attention. The British people love an underdog, and Munyua’s charm captured their hearts. Munyua is a showman, and they received him so well,” McMahon said of Munyua.
Nodor makes 80 per cent of the darts boards used in the world, and McMahon said the company has over 1,000 employees at their Athi River plant. He also spoke of receiving calls and texts from Kenyans asking him how they can get “darts boards”.
He expects to see the interest increasing in the coming days, particularly among young university students who have already started competing at tournaments organised by Sirua Darts. “They impressed me. We have new talent that is coming up from the universities,” McMahon said.
