Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta has travelled to The Hague to attend the International Criminal Court (ICC) over charges of crimes against humanity.

Kenyatta, who flew to the Dutch capital, Amsterdam, on Tuesday, will be attending the court hearing over allegations of inciting violence, following the December 2007 presidential election in Kenya.

The post-election violence left over 1,200 people dead and displaced 600,000 others.

The Hague-based court has ordered Kenyatta to attend a "status conference" hearing despite his request for participating via video.

The status hearing --- a private meeting between the judges, the prosecution and the defense --- will discuss the status of cooperation between the ICC and the Kenyan government regarding the case.

This is the first time an incumbent president attends an ICC session that has upset many of Kenyatta's political supporters in Kenya.

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

Kenya was earlier seeking a change in the ICC rules so that heads of state will not have to attend its trials. The effort was part of a broader campaign to stop the cases against Kenyan political leaders.

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