The International Criminal Court (ICC) has summoned Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta to appear in court, accusing him of withholding certain documents related to his crimes against humanity trial.

In a statement released on Friday, the ICC said the hearing, scheduled for October 8, would focus on claims that Kenyatta’s government has refused to provide the prosecutors with their requested documents.

"The status of cooperation between the prosecution and the Kenyan government" will be discussed at the hearing, the statement said.

"A representative of the Kenyan government is invited to attend the first status conference and Mr. Kenyatta is required to be present at the second status conference."

Kenyatta’s alleged crimes against humanity pertains to the 2007-2008 post-election violence in the country, which left over 1,200 people dead and displaced 600,000 others.

Prosecutors are looking for documents, including company records, bank statements, tax returns and phone records, to show a link between Kenyatta and the violence.

Kenya is seeking an immediate change in the rules so that heads of state do not have to attend the ICC trials. The effort is part of a broader campaign to stop the cases against Kenyan political leaders.

Authorities are also seeking a longer-term amendment to the founding treaty that would ban the prosecution of heads of state by the Hague-based court, which has been accused of targeting African leaders.

The African Union had called for immunity for heads of state and asked the United Nations Security Council to suspend ICC proceedings against Kenya's leaders for a year - a request that was later rejected.