We can do
soethin
iolet Musyoka
Published by
One Planet Publishing & Media Services Limited
PO Box 5649 - 00506, Nairobi, Kenya
Email: info@oneplanetpublishing.com
Website: www.oneplanetpublishing.com
© Violet Musyoka 2014
The moral rights of the author have been asserted.
First published 2014
Reprinted 2015, 2019
All rights reserved. No part of this publicaon may be reproduced
or transmied in any form or by any means, electronic or
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ISBN 978 9966 068 02 6
Illustraons by Bonface Andala
Printed by
English Press Ltd
PO Box 30127 – 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
We can do soethin
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 reuest my parents Savana said
heir parents allowed them to visit
Mwemas grandmother hey were happy
n the day of the visit to Grandmothers
village Savana and Mwema woke up early
to get ready
he children enoyed 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 Mwemas father said must
leave now will return to pick you up after
two weeks
hat afternoon Mwema showed Savana
around Grandmothers 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 Wokis
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 Wokis 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 Grandmothers 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 Wokis 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 Wokis
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 uddys shed Mwema untied uddy
uietly he three walked carefully to
Mama Wokis 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 Wokis
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 chiefs 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 chiefs office
and tell us how you caught the thieves
hey all went to the chiefs 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 Grandmothers 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 Mwemas two friends?
2. What did Savana and Mwema see on
their way to Grandmothers village?
3. How long were Savana and Mwema at
Grandmothers village?
4. What was the name of Grandmothers
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
