We can do
soethin
iolet Musyoka
Published by
One Planet Publishing & Media Services Limited
PO Box 5649 - 00506, Nairobi, Kenya
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© Violet Musyoka 2014
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
First published 2014
Reprinted 2015, 2019
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ISBN 978 9966 068 02 6
Illustraons by Bonface Andala
Printed by
English Press Ltd
PO Box 30127 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
We can do soethin
Savana and Mwema lived in angoni
hey were neighbours Savana was ten
years old and went to Maruti rimary
School Mwema was eleven years old and
went to ango rimary School Mwema
had a pet dog called uddy
Savana and Mwema had closed school
n the first day of the school holidays
Mwema took his dog for a walk Savana
saw them She ran out to oin them
Hello Mwema Savana greeted
Hello Savana Mwema replied Guess
what? My father is taking me to visit my
grandmother ou should come with us
 will reuest my parents Savana said
heir parents allowed them to visit
Mwemas grandmother hey were happy
n the day of the visit to Grandmothers
village Savana and Mwema woke up early
to get ready
he children enoyed the long ourney
hey saw many trees hills and valleys
hey arrived at noon hey found
Grandmother waiting for them She greeted
them and said ou are welcome
fter lunch Mwemas father said  must
leave now  will return to pick you up after
two weeks
hat afternoon Mwema showed Savana
around Grandmothers homestead
hat evening Grandmother said ome
along with me to take some food to Mama
Woki my neighbour She cannot do much
work because she hurt her leg
long the way they saw a banana tree
with ripe bananas near Mama Wokis
house
Mama Woki should harvest those bananas
before thieves steal them Grandmother
said
re there thieves here? Mwema asked
es Grandmother replied sadly
hey found Mama Woki feeding her
chickens She was happy to receive them
Grandmother told her that there were ripe
bananas on her shamba hey all went to
harvest the bananas hen they returned
home
t noon the next day Grandmother
Savana Mwema and uddy went to check
on Mama Wokis shamba Savana was
looking up a mango tree when uddy
started barking uddy ran to some bushes
hey found Mama Woki feeding her
uddy ome back Mwema called out
ook Savana shouted pointing at a basket
full of fruits We scared away a thief
hey took the basket of fruits to Mama
Woki She shook her head sadly
 reported the matter to the chief last week
 will see him again Grandmother said
Grandmother went to see the chief He
promised to send askaris to patrol the
shamba hey did not catch any thief
uddy ome back Mwema called out
t was one week since Mwema and Savana
visited Grandmothers village
Savana we can do something to stop the
thieves Mwema said
s? Savana asked We are only
children What can we do?
emember this is our last week here
Mwema said We will go to the shamba
every day and patrol it We must catch the
thief
kay Savana said uddy must come
with us
t was one week since Mwema and Savana
he next day Savana and Mwema told
Grandmother that they were going to patrol
Mama Wokis shamba
e careful Grandmother said
n their way Savana told Mwema  think
the thieves take the fruits to the market on
Wednesdays
 think so too oday is uesday he
thieves might come today Mwema said
s they walked around Mama Wokis
shamba they saw a big deep hole
he next day Savana and Mwema told
efore they left the shamba Savana and
Mwema made a plan hey selected trees
with very ripe fruits hey picked some
branches of kay apple that had been
cut before and placed them around the
selected fruit trees his would be a trap for
the thieves
s they went home Savana and Mwema
were happy hey hoped that their plan
would work
efore they left the shamba Savana and

he next day Savana and Mwema got up
early hey put on their dark clothes hey
umped out through the window and tiptoed
to uddys shed Mwema untied uddy
uietly he three walked carefully to
Mama Wokis shamba hey thought that
the thieves would go early in the morning
when the askaris had left
Mwema stopped suddenly hey uickly
umped into a bush
We have done enough rounds a man
said  do not think any thieves will come

When the askaris had passed Savana
Mwema and uddy came out of the bush
hey walked uickly to Mama Wokis
shamba s they approached an avocado
tree they heard many avocadoes falling to
the ground
Savana and Mwema uickly picked and
placed the thorny kay apple branches
around the avocado tree
uddy sniffed around a mango tree
Savana and Mwema oined uddy under
the mango tree hen a mango hit Savana
on the head She almost screamed

ust then uddy started barking He
barked loudly ther dogs in the village
oined uddy in barking ne thief umped
down from the mango tree and fell on the
thorny kay apple branches
 the thief screamed
t was a woman uddy ran towards her
while barking She stood up uickly and
tried to run away

uddy bit her sweater he thief struggled
out of the sweater She umped up only to
fall into the big deep hole hen there was
a shout nother thief had also umped
down He fell on the thorny branches
uddy held him to the ground
Help Get this dog off me the thief cried
out
uddy barked he village dogs barked as
well Savana and Mwema were standing
by the thief in the hole Suddenly they
heard a whistle Many people arrived

uddy released the thief He tried to run
but two strong men held him
he chiefs askaris also arrived to find out
what was going on efore Savana and
Mwema could tell the villagers about the
woman in the hole she screamed 
 as she tried to climb out of the hole
She had been stung by something in the
hole  porcupine ran out of the hole he
woman fainted he porcupine uickly ran
back into the hole when it saw people

Savana and Mwema what are you doing
here? Grandmother asked
hey helped us catch the thieves one of
the askaris said re they your children?
hey are my grandchildren Grandmother
said  expected them to be sleeping
hank you children another askari said
lease come with us to the chiefs office
and tell us how you caught the thieves
hey all went to the chiefs office

 villager shouted  know the thieves
hey always say that their sick mother
sends them to sell fruits in the market
obody sends them someone else said
Savana and Mwema were happy that they
had helped Mama Woki
wo days later Savana Mwema and
uddy left Grandmothers village for
angoni hey did not know that helping
Mama Woki was ust the start of a life of
adventure for them

Questions
1. Who were Mwemas two friends?
2. What did Savana and Mwema see on
their way to Grandmothers village?
3. How long were Savana and Mwema at
Grandmothers village?
4. What was the name of Grandmothers
neighbour?
5. Why was Mama Woki sad?
6. How did Savana and Mwema catch the
thieves?
7. What happened to the woman who fell
into the big deep hole?
8. What can we do to help sick people?

Word list
adventure an exciting thing that you do
or that happens to you
bark the loud sound made by a
dog
faint fall down to the ground
because of fear or shock
holidays days when you do not go to
school but stay at home or
visit friends and relatives
patrol move around a place to
make sure that everything is
safe
porcupine a small animal that is bigger
than a rat that is covered
with sharp things that it
shoots out to protect itself
release let go of something that you
are holding
sniff smell something
trap something that is used to
catch a person or an animal