Nairobi — Vice-President Moody Awori has every reason to feel for inmates who are HIV positive or those living with Aids, and if a planned Bill is passed, they will be released so that they can "have quality life with their families instead of being left to die in prison".

This is a noble, humanitarian thought, and it would go a long way in shedding the stigma associated with the virus. After all, it is better to die in the comfort of your family home than within prison cells.

However, there is a need for the authorities to take care how they go about this matter. First, there is the danger of the perception created in the wider public: Will the authorities be doing this because they want to get rid of the prisoners who have, of necessity, become a liability, or will they be doing it because they have a genuine concern?

Secondly, have the authorities considered vetting the prisoners they would send out to "their families" to find out whether they have families in the first place?

It would be cruel for the Government to send sick prisoners out into the world to die instead of taking institutional care of them. Only those with relatives who are able and willing to take them in should be let go.

The third requirement would be that these prisoners receive the requisite counselling as well as free, daily medication and a balanced diet. How is the Government going to guarantee that these things are available for those sick prisoners that they set free?

Let us be very, very careful on this one. Noble thoughts have a tendency of turning into nightmares if not wisely conceived and planned.