David Munyua, the 30-year-old veterinarian from Kabati in Murang'a County, returned to the Ally Pally hoping to be that man again, but lightning did not strike twice.
His Second Round contest at the 2026 Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championship against Dutchman Kevin Doets ended in a humbling 3-0 loss.
Munyua, the first Kenyan ever to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship, had made headlines on his debut on Thursday after coming from behind to upset Belgium’s top-ranked darts player, Mike De Decker 3-2.
“I have never been in this kind of venue before. The noise… the pressure… the wasp… I got one, and it ran away. I think the second round will be easier for me,” Munyua, nicknamed 'Whynot', told PDC media after eliminating De Decker, who is ranked 18th in the world.
Yet, yesterday, Munyua found Doets, ranked 40th in the world, a more formidable opponent.
Doets had described Munyua as “a great player” after he won his first-round contest against Englishman Matthew Dennat. However, he hyped himself as the “better player” and promised not to “repeat mistakes De Decker made against Munyua”.
“De Decker missed a lot of opportunities to win the game and dominate. I will not miss the opportunities that he did. My confidence is really high, and I just do not believe I will miss them,” Doets, nicknamed ‘Hawkeye’, said. on Monday afternoon, Doets walked the talk.
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
Still, it was Munyua who had the best start in that best-of-five contest before nerves got the better of him. The Kenyan's first throw in the first leg of the first set scored 140 on the board, against the Dutchman’s 100. The second round of throws saw another 140, but it was from the Dutchman. Munyua only managed 36, leaving him with 330 points, as Doets remained with 261 points.
Doets progressively pulled away from Munyua, scoring 100, then 93 and 52 to set himself up for a double 8 checkout.
Yet, Munyua did not give up without a fight in that first leg, recovering to hit a 180 that left him needing a 15-point checkout should Doets falter.
The Dutchman made no mistake. He won that leg, but Munyua returned stronger in the second leg.
Munyua had an electric start to the second leg, hitting a 180 that got the crowd, including Kenya's Deputy Head of Mission to the United Kingdom, Amb. Joseph Warui, wildly excited.
Kenya's Darts trailblazer Munyua speaks
Still, Munyua lost his rhythm, allowing Doets to fight back with a 180. Munyua responded with 140 that steadied him for a 21-point checkout, but he needed a bit of luck after he failed to clear it. Luck came in the form of Doets busting his 16-point checkout, allowing Munyua to win the second leg with a double four checkout.
However much that gave hope of Munyua continuing his fairytale run, it took long before the crowd saw the best of him again.
Doets dominated the contest from that point forward, winning the first set 3-1 before claiming a 3-0 win in the second leg to take a 2-0. Doets was on course to win the third set 3-0, but Munyua delayed his victory by winning the third leg of that set. It was the last Ally Pally saw of Munyua's best. Doets won the fourth leg of that set, hence securing a victory of three sets to nil, leaving Munyua to console himself with the prize money of $25,000 (Sh4.3 million).
Reacting to Munyua's performance, Jeff Mureithi, a director at Sirua Darts, said the Kenyan darts community is "extremely proud of Munyua".
"Munyua played better today. He had a higher average than last time. The difference today is that his opponent is experienced and seasoned at this level," Mureithi said.
David Munyua during an interview with NTV on November 17, 2025.
Photo credit: Pool
Sirua Darts is an organisation affiliated with the Kenya Darts Association. They organise darts competitions all over the country.
"What Munyua has done for Kenyan darts is massive. There is now more attention on darts," Mureithi added.
