The son of Kenya's founding father, Jomo Kenyatta, and a former cabinet minister are among four Kenyan leaders who will face trial by the International Criminal Court on charges arising out of Kenya's 2007-2008 election violence.

In a ruling handed down in The Hague, Netherlands, a chamber of the court confirmed charges of crimes against humanity in two cases brought against the alleged leaders of two of the protagonists to the violence.

In one case, the chamber confirmed charges against Uhuru Kenyatta, Kenya's finance minister, and the former head of the civil service, Francis Muthaura. However, it declined to charge former Kenyan police chief Mohammed Hussein Ali.

In the other, it confirmed charges against William Ruto, formerly higher education minister, and a radio station's head of operations, Joshua arap Sang. But it dropped charges against a  suspended minister, Henry Kosgey.

All four accused will remain free until their trial, the court said. Kenyatta and Ruto are aspirant contenders for the presidency in forthcoming elections, expected later this year or in 2013.

Responding to the court's decision, Justus Nyang’aya, the Kenyan director of the international lobbying group, Amnesty International, said it was "an important milestone for victims in their search for justice, truth and reparations..."

He added: "Whether or not these individuals are guilty of these charges remains to be seen and their right to a fair trial must be respected.

"But these are just four individuals. Thousands of human rights abuses, some of which may amount to crimes against humanity, took place during the post-election period and thousands of victims are still waiting for justice. It is vital that the Kenyan authorities open investigations and, where there is sufficient admissible evidence; prosecute all those suspected of committing crimes."

Editors' note: Report expanded after initial publication.