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Kenya's Kenyatta to attend Hague hearing

October 6, 2014

Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has said he will attend a hearing at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. Kenyatta, who has stood down temporarily as head of state, faces charges of crimes against humanity.

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Kenianischer Präsident Uhuru Kenyatta
Image: picture-alliance/AA

Kenyatta announced on Monday that he would go to the International Criminal Court (ICC) where he faces five counts over his alleged role in orchestrating post-election violence in Kenya between 2007 and 2008.

Speaking in a nationally televised address to both Kenya's houses of parliament, Kenyatta said he would temporarily stand down allowing his deputy, William Ruto, to take over as president.

"I will shortly issue the legal notice necessary to appoint Honourable William Ruto, deputy president, as acting president while I attend the status conference at The Hague Netherlands," said Kenyatta.

The president said it was necessary to appoint an acting president to avoid putting the "sovereignty of more than 40 million Kenyans on trial."

Had Kenyatta refused to attend the hearing, he would have risked the issuing of an international arrest warrant as well as being the subject of international sanctions.

Symbolbild Internationaler Strafgerichtshof Den Haag
The court will examine the degree of cooperation between Nairobi and the prosecutionImage: Getty Images

Case at 'critical juncture'

Judges have scheduled an October 8 "status conference" to focus on the degree of cooperation between the Kenyan government and the prosecution.

The ICC last week insisted that Kenyatta attend the hearing, rejecting a request from the president that he be excused to attend a regional summit. Judges declared that the proceedings against Kenyatta were at a "critical juncture."

Prosecutors have demanded that Nairobi hand over documents they say are critical to the case, asking for the trial to be adjourned until Kenyan authorities comply.

Kenyatta, who previously attended a hearing of the court when he was not president, faces crimes against humanity charges along with Ruto and a Kenyan radio personality.#

All three are accused of inciting violence - often ethnically motivated - that killed more than 1,000 people and some 600,000 displaced.

rc/nm (AFP, AP, Reuters)