Kenyans will one week from today go to the ballot in a fiercely contested presidential election that has generated heated political temperatures.

As the campaigns enter the home stretch, the battle between the two main contenders, Deputy President William Ruto and Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga has intensified, with both rallying their supporters to turn out in large numbers on voting day.

Opinion polls show Raila is ahead by a small margin, a trend he has maintained since last May when he edged past Ruto, who had earlier led in the surveys for quite some time. Ruto has not surprisingly dismissed the pollsters. That contention will be put to rest on polling day, next Tuesday.

The stakes are high and the political environment toxic, especially last week when Ruto stepped up the rhetoric and criticism of the government. In a public rally outburst, he lashed out at President Uhuru Kenyatta, who he accused him of spreading lies, as they continue to trade barbs.

Ruto has been particularly bitter that the President is throwing his full weight behind Raila in the final moments of his term, maintaining his support since their handshake in March 2018. He has not taken kindly to this act, terming it a betrayal.

We may not know what prompted the political switch from a trusted ally in the Executive to backing a previously tough rival and opposition leader, but it must not develop into a national farce or an election issue. The integrity of our electoral process and national cohesion cannot be compromised by a disrespectful assault on the highest State symbol.

The acrimony between the President and his deputy last week stunned the nation when a bitter Ruto, in a worrying display of anger, equated their differences and his quest for the presidency to a matter of “life and death,” with foreboding implications.

Matters worsened in similar statements his running-mate Rigathi Gachagua publicly pronounced. Such alarming statements at this critical time when Kenyans are fast approaching the General Election do not bode well for peace, democracy and national cohesion.

Kenya is an ethnically diverse nation with competing political interests, yet the economic and social needs override these considerations beyond ethnic variances. The high cost of living does not choose tribe or social status, the same with poverty, unemployment and corruption.

Inciteful statements that pit communities at or against each other and evoke memories of a dark past are dangerous at this critical moment for our nation when we are entering a transition.

Leaders regardless of their rank in society or quest for power should not adopt a know-it-all, winner-takes-it-all attitude that is the bane of national unity.

We cannot forget that past elections were marred by hate speeches that bred violence, with devastating consequences. We must never allow ourselves to slide back to that path of political and ethnic animosity again. The 2007/08 post-election violence is still fresh in our memories.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has an obligation to deliver a free, fair, transparent, credible and verifiable election that will not only maintain Kenya’s democratic tradition of holding elections every five years but also banish the blemishes of the past.

As the campaigning leaders spare no effort to traverse their strongholds and contested regions in a last-minute bid to woo voters, they must remember that any inciteful statements are bound to draw responses in equal measure, with dire consequences.

—The writer comments on political and justice affairs—[email protected]