Nairobi - Authorities in Kenya plan to offer around 2.5 million orphaned children a "normal" life, by removing them out of institutions and placing them with relatives, reports said Wednesday.

The government was working on a programme aimed at eliminating the need for children to grow up in orphanages by linking the orphans and their relatives, The Standard newspaper said.

"We want to ensure that these orphans lead a humane life. We want to link them with relatives, where they will live a good life with other children," Childrens Affairs Minister Esther Murugi was quoted as saying in the report.

More than 1.5 million Aids orphans are among the children that are currently being accommodated in institutions, often living in cramped and squalid conditions. (dpa)