Nairobi — With just over a week to the closure of the period given for public deliberations on the draft constitution, it is worrying that the key political actors are still divided.

Although President Kibaki's PNU and Prime Minister Raila Odinga's ODM are partners in the Grand Coalition government, they have differed sharply on the shape of the Executive.

Both are agreed on a kind of dual system with both a president and a prime minister, but they are divided on which of the two leaders should be superior.

ODM favours the model proposed in the draft constitution, with the leader of the party commanding a majority in Parliament exercising executive authority as head of government; and a president elected through universal suffrage being relegated to ceremonial functions as Head of State.

PNU prefers to retain the status quo of the president as Head of State and government, with the prime minister in charge of day-to-day management but reporting to the president.

A close look at where the parties differ reveals that the gap can be breached with a little bit of give and take from both sides. The problem is that both parties are retreating to positions based not so much on sound principles of constitution-making, but on the usual politics of brinkmanship.

The 2005 referendum was reduced to a political tug-of-war, whose deadly effects were to be seen two years later in the post-election carnage.

It should be evident that if we again fail to adopt a new and better constitution, as well as the rest of the reform package, the bitter divisions might cause a deadly recurrence of political violence come 2012.

Already, it is evident that three years before the next polls, short-sighted political leaders are driving the country into electoral campaign footing.

We simply cannot afford electioneering driven by ethnic chieftains at this time. The lessons of 2007 must keep reminding us that we remain on the precipice unless the issues that divide us are comprehensively addressed to the satisfaction of all.