Two Top Kenyan Officials Resign Over ICC Charges

Posted January 26th, 2012 at 9:25 am (UTC-5)
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Two top Kenyan officials have resigned their posts, after the International Criminal Court said they must stand trial for crimes against humanity.

Francis Muthaura is stepping down as civil service chief, while Uhuru Kenyatta is resigning as finance minister. Kenyatta will retain his post as deputy prime minister.

Kenyatta, Muthaura, former education minister William Ruto and radio executive Joshua Arap Sang are facing trial at the ICC for their alleged roles in Kenya's 2007-2008 post-election violence.

The four are accused of helping to organize the ethnic violence that erupted after the disputed 2007 presidential election. Some 1,300 people were killed and 300,000 others displaced from their homes before the attacks were stopped.

Kenyatta, who is the son of Kenya's founding president and one of the country's wealthiest men, proclaimed his innocence in a statement Monday. He has said he will run for president in Kenya's next elections, expected some time later this year.

Kenyatta and Muthaura are charged with five counts of crimes against humanity, including murder, rape, and forcible transfer.

The court confirmed the charges against them Monday, at the same time it dropped charges against former police chief Mohammed Hussein Ali and former industrialization minister Henry Kosgey.

No starting dates for the trials have been set.