Nairobi — Prisoners with Aids will soon be released if a draft Bill is passed into law.

Vice-President Moody Awori said yesterday that HIV-positive inmates or those with full-blown Aids would "have quality life with their families instead of being left to die in prison." But he said those to enjoy the amnesty must prove that they are not a security threat.

Mr Awori was launching a workshop on a prisons HIV/Aids draft policy in Kisumu.

According to the draft, the prisons medical services will divulge to the authorities full information on such inmates' health status and treatment needs before their release.

It was unfair to keep the patients in the prisons where they would die instead of releasing them to their families for the necessary support, he said.

"It is very inhuman to let prisoners suffering from the disease die in prison, whereas there's the option of releasing them back to their family members where they could get quality time with their friends," the VP said.

"Kenyans should exercise utmost care when dealing with prisoners who are infected because they are vulnerable and depending on you for support," he said.

"This is because their condition can have a psychological impact on them.

"We are therefore considering releasing those patients mostly in a critical condition since we have entered into an era where hope in treating and caring for people with this disease is with their family members."

Mr Awori, at the same time, expressed concern over what he called increasing number of remandees, saying that the situation overstretched the facilities.

"Sixty percent of inmates in the prison facilities in the country are remandees," he pointed out. "And most of these people are petty offenders.

"We should not lock them up for long periods; we should look for other alternatives like community service."

He said the Government was considering increasing budgetary allocations for the prisons in the next financial year to ease congestion. "The congestion in our prisons is encouraging immoral behaviour amongst inmates," he said.