The UN Security Council rejected an attempt for a resolution to suspend the trials of Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto for a year, BBC News reported. Eight of the 15 council members, including the United States abstained, in the voting.

"The United States abstained on this vote because we believe that the concerns raised by Kenya regarding the International Criminal Court proceedings against President Kenyatta and Deputy President Ruto are best addressed within the framework of the Court and its Assembly of States Parties, and not through a deferral mandated by the Security Council," Samantha Power, the U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations, wrote in a statement.

"Because of our respect for Kenya and the AU, and because we believe that the Court and its Assembly of States Parties are the right venue for considering the issues that Kenya and some AU members have raised, we have decided to abstain rather than vote "no" on this resolution," added Power.

The resolution received  seven votes, two below the number needed to pass the 15-member body. The draft resolution, which received "strong backing" from China and Russia, called the court case "distracting and preventing" Kenyatta and Ruto from carrying out their duties. 

Kenyatta and Ruto have been accused of instigating political unrest after the 2007 election where more than 1,100 people died.

Rwanda, who is a temporary member of the Security Council, played a key role in drawing up the resolution, news reports said.

Ruto's trial has already started while Kenyatta's case is scheduled to get underway on February 5. President Kenyatta's trial has been delayed three times.