NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept. 13 (UPI) -- Kenyan war crimes cases before the International Criminal Court will do little to push a national agenda off course, Vice President William Ruto said Friday.
Ruto and Kenyan national broadcast director Joshua Arap Sang spent two days at The Hague, Netherlands, defending their innocence before the ICC this week. Both men, along with President Uhuru Kenyatta, are suspected of committing crimes against humanity during post-election conflicts in 2007. At least 1,000 Kenyans were killed during the violence.
Upon his return to Nairobi, Ruto said the war crimes case would have no effect on a national agenda.
"We have rolled up our sleeves ready to serve Kenyans and develop Kenya," he was quoted as saying by The Daily Nation newspaper.
Kenyatta and Ruto took office following early 2013 elections. Both men were rivals during the previous campaign and the court said Ruto chose violence as a means to gain political power.
Kenyan lawmakers last week voted to sever ties with the court, a move that has no bearing on existing cases.
Ruto said Friday, without elaborating, Kenyans would be "surprised" by what happens with the case.
