Kenyan darts player, 30-year-old David Munyua, will come up against 27-year-old Dutchman Kevin Doets on Monday as he seeks to continue his adventure at the 2026 Professional Darts Corporation World Darts Championship.
Doets, ranked 41st worldwide, set up the Second Round tie after winning 3-1 in his First Round contest against Englishman Matthew Dennant on Friday.
Debutant Munyua is the man of the moment at this year’s competition taking place at the Alexandra Palace in London, England.
The veterinarian from Kabati in Murang’a County thrilled the crowd at the Ally Pally – as the Alexandra Palace is popularly known as – by coming from two sets down to win 3-2 against Belgian Mike De Decker, who is his country’s top-ranked darts player and the world number 18.
Munyua, nicknamed ‘Whynot’, is the first Kenyan to compete at the PDC World Darts Championship and his victory over De Decker was labelled the biggest upset in the history of the competition. His performance excited darts fans worldwide, who have crowned him the People’s Champion.
Speaking to PDC media after his victory, Munyua said the win calmed his nerves and he expects to thrive on Monday.
“I have never been in this kind of a 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 had said.
Victory for Munyua will put him on the brink of replicating the best performance by an African at the PDC World Championships.
The South African Devon Petersen is Africa’s best performer in the history of the competition – reaching the Fourth Round on two occasions, 2019 and 2021.
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
Since Petersen’s performance in 2021, no African contestant has progressed beyond the Second Round.
Munyua will be aiming to end that unfortunate streak and remain on course to keeping the promise he made before making his bow at the Ally Pally.
Munyua, nicknamed ‘Whynot’, had promised to showcase the best of African darts when competing at the Ally Pally, 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.
To achieve that, Munyua will have to reach quarterfinals, hence surpassing the mark set by Petersen.
Munyua’s Monday opponent, Doets, is making his third appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship.
After reaching the Second Round on his debut in 2024, Doets improved on his performance during his second appearance in 2025 by reaching the Fourth Round.
Doets, nicknamed ‘Hawkeye’, is one 15 Dutch players competing at this year’s event. Dutch players have an enviable reputation at the PDC World Darts Championship.
The Dutch account for two of the three non-British players who have won the competition in the past.
The competition is usually dominated by British players. Players from England (21 times), Scotland (4 times), and Wales (once) have won 26 of the 32 previous editions of the PDC World Darts Championships.
The only non-British players to win the competition are Canadian John Part (twice) and Dutchmen Michael van Gerwen (thrice) and Raymond van Barneveld (once).
The 33rd edition of the PDC World Darts Championship is the biggest yet with a record prize money pool of £5,000,000 (Sh853 million) and record number of competitors, 128.
The winner’s prize money – (£1,000,000 – Sh171 million) – is also a competition record. It is double what English teenager Luke Littler – the competition’s youngest ever winner – earned for winning last year’s edition.
The prize money per round is as follows: First Round losers (£15,000 – Sh2.58 million), Second Round losers (£25,000 – Sh4.3 million), Third Round losers (£35,000 – Sh6 million), Fourth Round losers (£60,000 – Sh10.3 million), Quarter-final losers (£100,000 – Sh17.1 million), Semi-final losers (£200,000 – Sh34.2 million), Runner-up (£400,000 – Sh68.4 million), and winner (£1,000,000 – Sh171 million).
The competition started on December 11 and will go on until January 3, 2026.
