The research was conducted in the capital of Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia, Bahir Dar City. The need to conduct this study had emanated from multiple justifications. These rationale include: (1) the 2002 UNESCO Cities for Prize Award to Bahir Dar, that appreciated the municipality in the management of the challenges against the rapid process of urbanization, (2) a traveler featuring article described the paradoxical phenomenon focusing on the dark side of Bahir Dar city, (3) research findings in the late 2000s revealed against the UNESCO cities for prize award, and finally (4) the researcher’s personal encounters around the inner urban slum as a new arrival during the late 2009 and the early 2010s. The major objective of the research was to explore and describe the prospects and challenges of Bahir Dar City inter urban slum-Koshekosh residents. The approach of the research is exploratory ethnographic design. The data collection techniques include unstructured in-depth and semi-structured interviews, focus group discussion, observations and transect walk. The participants of the study were purposely selected to collect the intended rich data. The data were systematically analyzed to fit with major themes and contextualized to meet local meanings. The analysis procedure was designed to address the research objectives. Therefore, the results of the study show that koshekosh is the worst inner urban slum neighborhood compared to the 2002 UNESCO Cities for Prize Award. The number of prostitutes was more than the reports indicated in the magazine (400 against over 598). The residents have been living under extraordinary frustrating ward against eviction by the municipality. Koshekosh is women dominated inner urban slum neighborhood. About 60 per cent were women head households and 76.49 % of the koshekosh residents were females. The sources of livelihood for the women headed households were piety trade, daily labor, and prostitution for the rural-urban migrated young women and girls. Overall, this research findings show that women headed households were the most affected, and followed by the elderly and children as members of the poor households. Based on the findings, the following strategies are recommended to mitigate the challenges of the Koshekosh residents. The municipality shall redesign a new inclusive approach for the urban slum upgrading. Relocating the slum residents will cost the government in the near future, replicating another slum in the new resettlement sites. The interests of women headed households and the elderly shall be given priority, and inclusive approach towards the inner urban slum upgrading should be considered by all actors.

Keywords: Community policing; Prostitutes; Resettlement; Inclusive slum upgrading; Piety trade