Meet Kenyan Who Clinched Shocking Win In World Darts Championship Debut
Munyua is a Kenyan professional darts player and trained veterinarian who rose to international attention in 2025 after making history at the PDC World Darts Championship in London.
Marvin Chege 
Kenyan David Munyua delivered one of the shocks of the PDC World Championship, rallying from two sets down to defeat world number 18 Mike de Decker in a dramatic finish to the afternoon session of Thursday, December 18.
While Munyua impressed on his debut at Alexandra Palace, an upset seemed a long shot once the Belgian closed in on sealing the match, sitting just one set away from victory.
The veterinary doctor squandered chances to take the second set, repeated the mistake in the third before finally claiming it, then narrowly took the fourth and mounted a gritty comeback to seal the contest in the fifth.
The 30-year-old, who booked his spot through the African Darts Group Qualifier, was broken in the opening leg of the decider but responded with a sensational outer bull–treble 20–bullseye 135 checkout to draw level, before keeping his composure to clinch the win.
David Munyua celebrates after his win at the PDC World Championships. /GEORGE SCAIFE
Speaking on stage afterwards, Munyua termed the victory "amazing", adding that it marked a "very big moment for the sport, for Africa and for Kenya".
Sky Sports pundit and former BDO world champion Mark Webster said: "This is what the World Championship is all about.
"Forget about the stats in terms of big averages – it had drama all the way through. David put in a big performance. It just backs up that we're going global with this sport," Webster remarked.
The loss extended De Decker’s struggles at the World Championship, with the 2024 World Grand Prix champion still failing to progress beyond the last 64 in six trips to Alexandra Palace.
Who Is David Munyua?
David Munyua is a Kenyan professional darts player and trained veterinarian who rose to international attention in 2025 after making history at the PDC World Darts Championship in London.
Born on October 25, 1990 in Thika, Kenya, Munyua grew up far removed from the global darts circuit. By profession, he is a veterinary doctor, a career he continues to balance alongside competitive darts.
Unlike most elite players, Munyua did not come through a long-established darts academy system. He began playing the sport seriously only in the early 2020s, making his rapid rise highly unusual by professional standards.
Munyua competes on the African darts circuit and represents the next generation of players emerging from non-traditional darts nations.
His breakthrough came when he won the African Qualifier, securing a place at the PDC World Darts Championship at Alexandra Palace, commonly known as Ally Pally. That achievement alone made him the first Kenyan ever to qualify for the tournament.
At the World Championship, Munyua delivered one of the tournament’s most notable moments. In his debut appearance, he stunned Belgian world number 18 Mike De Decker, overturning a two-sets-to-nil deficit to win 3–2.
The victory marked Kenya’s first-ever match win at the PDC World Championship and instantly positioned Munyua as one of the competition’s standout stories. His composure under pressure and ability to recover from missed opportunities drew widespread praise.
Away from the spotlight, Munyua remains grounded. He is known to self-fund much of his darts journey, relying on personal savings, sponsorship support, and crowdfunding to compete internationally.
Prior to the World Championship, he had never travelled outside Africa, underscoring the scale of his leap onto the global stage.
Nicknamed “Why Not?”, Munyua has become a symbol of darts’ expanding global footprint and the growing potential of African players in the sport.
His story blends elite competition with everyday professionalism, reflecting a new, more diverse era for world darts.
