Can Ugandans tolerate a State free of impunity?

Part of being a flawed human being involves saying one thing and doing another. For instance, as Ugandans, we like to say we hate impunity, but our actions tell quite a different story.
For decades, Ugandans have demanded the government to do more about corruption and impunity. And as fate would have it, a medical intern who allegedly demanded a Shs100,000 bribe from a patient at the Uganda Cancer Institute was arrested and arraigned in court last Friday. He was subsequently charged with two cases of corruption, and if convicted, he could end up in jail for 12 years. 
Now, if the government expected to be congratulated, they were in for a shock, a shock akin to the one Pontius Pilate faced when the Jewish crowd elected to release the notorious Barabbas from prison at the expense of an innocent Jesus.
In our case, the medical intern’s arrest aroused outrage and sympathy among many Ugandans, including medics. “How can you punish a mere intern like that? What if he just needed money for food or upkeep? Free our boy!” the multitudes said. 
One medic on Twitter went as far as referring to the justice system as an “injustice system.” 
He remarked, “100k can get you 12 years imprisonment if you are lowly lad, but those who squander billions are promoted to other government offices! It is insane,” said Dr Ekwaro Obuku, the former president of the Uganda Medical Association (UMA) and aspiring Worker’s MP, before calling for a review of what he termed “the colonial justice system”.
Interestingly, nothing was said of the heartlessness behind demanding an inducement from a patient battling cancer. Of course, Dr Dickson could very well be innocent. But if there is reason to believe he solicited a bribe from a patient, we should not rebuke the government for taking action.
Those rebuking government argue that it only punishes small fish and leaves the big fish to wreak havoc unhindered. This is a fair criticism; however, the solution is not to let the little fish swim away. The solution is to demand the government to punish the bigger fish too. 
Remember, doing something with impunity means doing something bad and not getting punished for it. So if we advocate small fish to be left alone, then we, too, are promoting impunity. 
But then again, isn’t impunity part of who we are? If we consider any aspect of Ugandan life, whether public or private, we can’t fail to see indiscipline and impunity. We see impunity on our roads, most especially at zebra crossings. 
Here, VIPs, boda boda cyclists and the “Subaru lunatics of Kampala” take the prize. We also see impunity in the lack of punctuality both at public and private functions. We see it in the absence of basic trust between businesses and customers. And we see it in our inability to wait in line.
Regarding Covid-19, impunity manifests as misuse of funds on the part of the government, and the refusal of the public to heed Covid-19 guidelines. In other words, acting with impunity is part of who we are as Ugandans. We only call it out when we are on the receiving end, but most times, we love to partake in it.
When President Museveni recently went against a court ruling and promised to re-instate the demolished Ndeeba church, Ugandans, including religious leaders, jubilated. It makes one wonder, would Ugandans tolerate an impunity free State?

Mr Kibudde is a socio-political thinker
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Twitter: @kkaboggoza