Uhuru Kenyatta is the first sitting head of state to appear before the Hague court, charged with crimes against humanity.
He faces five counts at the ICC, accused of orchestrating violence in the wake of Kenya’s disputed 2007 presidential elections and complicity in the murder, deportation, rape and persecution of civilians.
It’s estimated that over 1,200 people were killed in the post-election period.
Mr Kenyatta denies the charges against him.
He chose not to make a statement or answer questions during the ICC hearing, with attorney Steve Kay instead asking that the trial be suspended indefinitely.
“The case has failed and it has failed in a way that means there is no prospect of it going further,” he told the court.
“If the prosecutor does not intervene, you act to terminate. The prosecutor will not offer any evidence.”
Prosecutors allege Kenyan authorities are withholding evidence and obstructing proceedings and have requested that sanctions be applied to force cooperation with the court.
The repeatedly-delayed case has seen at least seven prosecution witnesses drop out, allegedly through bribes and intimidation.
The Kenyan leader has appeared at the ICC before, but not since he was elected president in March 2013.
Judges could decide to send the case to trial or to abandon it after the prosecution said it did not have enough evidence.
The case is regarded as a major test for the ICC, which has secured just two convictions in the 11 years since it was first established.
The African Union had previously called for the ICC cases to be withdrawn and transferred to Kenyan courts, accusing the ICC of targeting Africans.
