diff --git a/expconfig.py b/expconfig.py
index 40928aa17668a35980afea20b77f9ef6e49d8d30..05a33d6be7bd1a3761655ef3def8731482a0a7fe 100644
--- a/expconfig.py
+++ b/expconfig.py
@@ -285,14 +285,18 @@ class ExpConfig(ConfigObj):
                             current.rename(subkey_orig, subkey)
 
             if 'namelists' in config.sections:
-                for group in config['namelists'].sections:
-                    unify_key(config['namelists'][group])
+                namelists = config['namelists']
+                for group in namelists.sections:
+                    unify_key(namelists[group])
             if 'jobs' in config.sections:
-                unify_key(config['jobs'])
-                for job in config['jobs'].sections:
-                    if 'namelists' in config['jobs'][job].sections:
-                        for group in config['namelists'].sections:
-                            unify_key(config['jobs'][job]['namelists'][group])
+                jobs = config['jobs']
+                unify_key(jobs)
+                for name in jobs.sections:
+                    job = jobs[name]
+                    if 'namelists' in job.sections:
+                        namelists = job['namelists']
+                        for group in namelists.sections:
+                            unify_key(namelists[group])
 
         # Helper functions for value definitions
 
diff --git a/test.py b/test.py
index f798d3a44f496f8ab64b276ba8d3e8102a3e0f99..830004995cef75d699491b08b92b7b7432ae0585 100644
--- a/test.py
+++ b/test.py
@@ -644,12 +644,18 @@ class NamelistTestCase(MkexpSimpleTestCase):
             /
             &group ! 'i i i'
             /
+            &group ! '3 a'
+            /
         """, u"""
             [namelists]
               [[namelist]]
                 [[[group 1]]]
                 [[[group  2]]]
                 [[[group i  i i]]]
+        """, u"""
+                [[[namelists]]]
+                  [[[[namelist]]]]
+                    [[[[[         group               3       a\t ]]]]] 
         """)
 
     def test_namelist_case_twist(self):