President Uhuru Kenyatta combined political shrewdness and the power of a suave public relations machine to overshadow his pending trial for international crimes at The Hague and emerge as one of Africa’s most influential personalities this year.

London-based magazine New African says Mr Kenyatta made it to the exclusive list for successfully employing a smart political strategy that has turned Africa against the International Criminal Court (ICC) and away from the serious crimes he is accused of committing during Kenya’s 2007 General Election.

Mr Kenyatta was recognised for skilfully exploiting the ICC charges, which initially threatened his leadership ambitions, to make ICC Chief Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda among the continent’s most reviled personalities.

“While the Office of the Prosecutor alleges witness tampering and non-cooperation by the Kenyan government, it is really Kenyatta’s shrewd politics that have undermined the court. He has rallied African leaders in opposition to the ICC in a way that very few people imagined could happen.”

The report adds that Mr Kenyatta has “reframed his case as being about the dignity and sovereignty of Kenya and more broadly Africa, rather than about the political violence following the disputed 2007 election.”

The struggle with ICC has been the making of Mr Kenyatta and is expected to define his presidency – having so far transformed an erstwhile political neophyte into a savvy and dominant figure in African politics, the report says.

Publication of the list came amid a barrage of criticism that has greeted Mr Kenyatta’s first year in office, especially over the seemingly unstoppable wave of insecurity mainly driven by Somalia-based Al-Shabaab terrorists.

The President has also come under sharp  criticism over rampant corruption and rising ethnic friction that has continued to  eat into Kenya’s political fabric since he took power 18 months ago.

“His country faces many challenges, but is full of opportunity. How he will use his newfound stature in 2015 remains to be seen,” the New African concludes.

Mr Kenyatta is among 23 politicians and public office holders listed among Africa’s most influential personalities of 2014. He is listed in that category with his nemesis Ms Bensouda, who succeeded Argentinian Luis Moreno-Ocampo in 2012.

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, who is cited for his anti-ICC stand and continued military interventions in the region’s conflicts, also made it to the list alongside South African politician Julius Malema.

South Sudan President Salva Kiir and his former deputy, Riek Machar, Boko Haram leader Abubakar Shekau and Chad strongman Idriss Déby also made it to the list of Africa’s most influential public personalities.

“Many of them are heroes whose actions have pushed Africa forwards in exciting and positive ways. Some continue to hold the continent back. They are presented to you, the good alongside the bad, in no particular order,” the report says.