NAIROBI, Sept 19 (Reuters) - Six high-profile Kenyans have been named by the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague as suspects behind deadly violence following a disputed election in December 2007.
More than 1,220 people were killed in the violence and 350,000 were displaced, severely denting Kenya's reputation for stability in a turbulent region.
Uhuru Kenyatta, Francis Muthaura and Mohammed Hussein Ali are due to appear for confirmation of charges hearings starting on Sept. 21, accused of crimes against humanity, including murder, forcible transfer, rape and persecution.
William Ruto, Henry Kosgey and Joshua arap Sang had confirmation hearings earlier this month and are accused of crimes against humanity, including murder, forcible transfer and persecution.
The hearings, where the prosecutor must show there is enough evidence to go to trial, will be closely watched because of the prominence of those involved and potential political impact, given that two of the men, William Samoei Ruto and Uhuru Muigai Kenyatta, are expected to run for president next year.
Judgment on whether the cases are to full trial is expected just before Christmas.
UHURU KENYATTA, FINANCE MINISTER AND DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER
* The ICC says Kenyatta, a member of the Kikuyu tribe, mobilised a local militia called the Mungiki to hit back at members of the Kalenjin tribe who had sparked violence in Kenya's Rift Valley province targeting Kikuyu.
* Kenyatta, born in 1961, two years before independence from Britain, is the son of Kenya's founding father Jomo Kenyatta. His name, "Uhuru", means freedom in Swahili.
* Kenyatta, named finance minister of east Africa's biggest economy in January 2008, and a key pillar in President Mwai Kibaki's cabinet, denies the accusation.
* Kenyatta, who is also deputy prime minister in Kenya's coalition government, is expected to be the only one of the six to take the stand to fend off accusations of committing crimes against humanity in a move analysts say could be risky because he would come under questioning by the court.
* A member of Kenya's largest tribe, Kenyatta belongs to one of the country's wealthiest families with extensive land and business holdings.
* Kenyatta ran for the presidency in 2002 but lost to Kibaki, and has vowed to contest for the top post in elections due next year. Leaders from his ethnic group, the Kikuyu, see him as the likely successor of Kibaki, also a Kikuyu.
* Over the years, Kenyatta has denied allegations he is linked to the murderous, mafia-style Mungiki gang that operates in Nairobi and Central province, the Kikuyu heartland. The gang's trademark is to decapitate its victims.
* Kenyatta has said he is not worried about the ICC process and that it would not affect Kenyan markets, the economy or his presidential aspirations.
FRANCIS MUTHAURA, CIVIL SERVICE HEAD AND CABINET SECRETARY
* Muthaura, born in 1946, is from the Meru ethnic group, which is closely linked to the Kikuyu tribe.
* Muthaura is one of Kibaki's closest allies and a central pillar in the so-called Mt. Kenya Mafia -- a group of senior politicians and civil servants from the foothills of the mountain in the central highlands of the east African country -- who form the core of Kibaki's trusted inner circle.
* A career diplomat with a low-key and awkward public persona, Muthaura was the secretary general of the East African Community for five years after holding several ambassadorial positions under former president Daniel arap Moi.
* Muthaura was chairman of the National Security Advisory Committee during the violence.
* The ICC says Muthaura authorised the police to use excessive force against ODM supporters and to protect youth groups of Kibaki's Party of National Unity (PNU).
* Muthaura, who had initially requested for the confirmation hearing of his case to be pushed back, has denied all wrongdoing.
* The ICC prosecutor had questioned whether his continued presence on the committee amounts to a conflict of interest. The government has since said that Muthaura is still chairman but no longer attends committee meetings.
MAJ-GEN (RET.) HUSSEIN ALI, FORMER POLICE COMMISSIONER
* Ali, was born in 1956 in Eldoret in the Rift Valley, and is from the Somali ethnic community. He was the police chief during the violent clashes.
* Kibaki named Ali, a brigadier in the Kenya Air Force, to head the police in 2004 at a time when crime was spiralling fast in Nairobi and across the country.
* Ali was the first police commissioner to take the post from outside the police force and made his mark by vigorously clamping down on the activities of the Mungiki gang and pushed back a wave of crime in the country.
* During the violence, the police response drew criticism for its excessive use of force. A human rights investigation showed many of the deaths resulted from gunshot wounds following a "shoot to kill" order from the police hierarchy.
* It is also alleged some police were partisan during the violence and others neglected their duties.
* Ali now heads the Postal Corporation of Kenya, a state agency. (Reporting by James Macharia)
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