Kenyan finance minister quits after poll violence charges

Kenyan Finance Minister Uhuru Kenyatta, who was indicted this week to stand trial at the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, has resigned, the presidency said on Thursday.

Kenyatta has faced mounting calls for his resignation as a minister by some colleagues in cabinet following the confirmation of charges by the ICC. Two leading national dailies carried editorials on Thursday saying he should quit. Kenyatta has said he is innocent of the charges that he directed a militia accused of murder and rape during the violence that killed some 1,220 people and uprooted hundreds of thousands after a disputed 2007 election. The presidency said Robinson Githae, a lawyer and cabinet minister for metropolitan development, was named acting finance minister. There was no immediate reaction on the currency markets. The news broke moments before the close of Thursday's session. "The president has accepted the decision by Uhuru Kenyatta to step aside as the minister for finance," a statement from the presidency said. It said Kenyatta, however, would remain deputy prime minister. The position of prime minister and two deputies were created in 2008 as part of a deal to end the electoral violence and form a coalition government. Head of the civil service and secretary to the cabinet, Francis Muthaura, who was also charged alongside Kenyatta, also resigned his position, the presidency said. (Reuters)