All the local crazy-people wear dirty clothes. One peacefully accosted me yesterday at a huge Women's Day celebration (which lasted until about 4am). Another is famous for latching on to passers-by's wrists and not letting go. (I fell into his trap....) The one local madman who doesn't wear dirty clothes is the naked man, who wears no clothes at all.
All joking aside, anybody in Gulu with a job dresses well. School children dress in their uniforms, which are always clean. Dressing well when going to town is part of the culture. I am told this is the case even in the wet season, when mud will undoubtedly cling to everything.
Clothes are important in and around Kampala, as well. Men in fancy shirts and women in beautiful skirts do not hesitate to hop onto a boda-boda, caking themselves in dust as they zip down the dusty roads.
I don't know if such strict adherence to cleanliness prevents disease. (Yes, clothes should be clean... but do they really need to be that clean, when it'll only last an hour anyway?) I don't know if this is simply the way it has been for thousands of years. Being well-dressed could be a status symbol. Whatever the case, I never feel clean enough in Uganda.
The rains will start in a few weeks, in both Gulu and Kampala. Gulu has one big long rainy season, and Kampala has two short ones. Apparently the beginning of April is the wettest time in all of Uganda. I probably won't experience any IDP camps during the rainy season, but I may see a slum or two.
Fun Fact: According to World Vision, 935000 children currently live in Internally Displaced Persons camps in Uganda.