More than 20 000 prisoners in Kenyan jails could be free by Christmas, a news report said last week.

The release of the prisoners, who are serving terms of three years or less, was recommended in order to deal with the heavy congestion in Kenyan jails.

A committee chaired by Kenya's vice president Moody Awori said the releases could start mid-December.

The freed men would instead be put to work in community services, such as cleaning public places and clearing bushes alongside roads. The committee also suggested the president may give amnesty to reformed inmates.

The plan is aimed at halving the number of inmates in Kenyan jails. Kenya's prisons are built to hold a total of 15 000 inmates. There are currently 50 000 people jailed. The government hopes to bring the number down to 25 000.

Congestion in Kenyan jails recently came under the spotlight when several inmates died in an overcrowded prison in Meru in central Kenya.

The inmates who died were among twelve men who had been forced to share a cell measuring only 90x180 centimeters.

The Meru prison was built to hold 500 prisoners, but when the men died, it had 1,400 people incarcerated.