Munyua earns second PDC World Darts Championship appearance

"It's been tough for me. It's not easy to qualify for a second time because the participating nations have become increasingly competitive. I have faced a big challenge with consistency, but the experience I gained from the Modus Super Series in 2025 has really helped me," noted Munyua.

Kenyan darts sensation David Munyua celebrates a big score in a past competition. Photo/Handout.

David Munyua has secured a second appearance at the PDC World Darts Championship after winning the North Africa Region qualifier at the Nairobi Gymkhana last weekend.

Munyua defeated fellow Kenyan Evans Njuguna of Nakuru in the final of the three-day event to book his place at the prestigious tournament.

The 31-year-old will now look to build on his historic debut in 2025, when he became the first Kenyan to compete at Alexandra Palace and produced one of the tournament's biggest upsets.

Munyua stunned Belgian number one and former World Grand Prix champion Mike De Decker with a 3-2 comeback victory.

After falling 2-0 behind, Munyua survived three match darts in the fourth set before levelling the contest at 2-2. He then produced a sensational 135 checkout on the bull in the deciding set before winning the next two legs to complete a memorable comeback and etch his name into Alexandra Palace folklore.

Speaking to Citizen Digital after securing his second World Championship appearance, Munyua admitted that qualifying again had been far from easy, with competition in African darts continuing to grow.

"It's been tough for me. It's not easy to qualify for a second time because the participating nations have become increasingly competitive. I have faced a big challenge with consistency, but the experience I gained from the Modus Super Series in 2025 has really helped me," noted Munyua.

"As far as Eastern Africa and Africa are concerned, the best thing I can promise everyone is that I will do my best. This is the World Championship, and it brings together the best darts players from around the globe," he added.

Munyua also thanked his sponsor, Winmau, for the continued support.

"I thank my sponsors, Winmau, because they have always supported me and ensured I travel wherever I need to compete. They have also provided me with new darts. I will try my best to make them proud, and I am hopeful that I will come back home with victory."

Meanwhile, the Kenya Darts Association has called for increased government investment in the sport, arguing that greater support would help nurture young talent, strengthen grassroots development and create more opportunities for Kenyan players to compete internationally.

KDA publicity officer Wycliffe Omariba said darts was gaining prominence, with Kenyan players increasingly making their mark on the international stage.

"Darts is a rare sport, but it is coming into the limelight. We have seen our players doing well on the international scene. Darts should be treated just like any other sport. We need to integrate it into the school curriculum to help nurture young talent because, at the moment, we mainly have senior players."

KDA deputy chairperson Simon Kinyanjui also called for greater government support.

"We are happy with those who have been supporting darts in Kenya and Africa. The Government of Kenya has also supported us, although not enough, and has allowed us to register our association at national and grassroots levels. If the government supports us fully, darts will develop like wildfire."

Nakuru County darts stakeholder Stanley Karanja urged county governments to allocate funding to the sport and support athletes at grassroots level.

"I always tell counties that if there is a sport that can grow and sell Kenya internationally, it is darts. You don't need to invest so much because you don't need a Talanta Stadium. You don't need a big budget. I beseech counties to invest in darts. Nakuru County set aside KSh32 million, but darts was not considered."

"We are urging the Ministry of Sports to start supporting us from the qualifiers to avoid making winners depend on well-wishers or contributions to cover their flights and accommodation. Let the President [William Ruto] not wait for a Kenyan to win before we see him tweeting congratulations to dart players. Let him walk with us from this stage," said the Nakuru County lawmaker.

On the competition front, Kenya's Joseph Wanjohi won the African Continental Darts Tour, while Agnes "The Lioness" Jerotich, also from Kenya, won the women's category after defeating Uganda's Sarah "The Iron Lady" Makanga.

In the amateur category, Pascal Wanjala secured a place in the Modus Super Series after emerging victorious.

The tournament brought together players from the Northern region, including Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and Malawi, giving competitors a platform to showcase their skills while pursuing qualification opportunities on the international darts circuit.