Kampala - Nearly half of the thousands of inmates in Uganda's overcrowded prisons are on remand for sexual offences involving relationships with under-age girls, a government newspaper reported Saturday quoting senior prison officers.

Of the country's 20,000 inmates, 47.7 per cent face defilement charges, having been arrested on suspicion of having intercourse with girls under the age of 18, The New Vision newspaper said. A person convicted with defilement serves a life sentence under Ugandan law.

Deputy Commissioner General of Prisons James Mwanje said that the prisons are severely over-crowded because 11 per cent of the remand prisoners are being held beyond the constitutionally required limit of 18 months.

Human rights groups persistently blame the Ugandan government for turning a blind eye to conditions in the country's dilapidated prisons.

Citing an example, the report said that the country's largest maximum security prison of Luzira near Kampala, constructed over 50 years ago to house 668 prisoners, now has 2,212 inmates. (dpa)