In November 2025, something rare happened in Nairobi, Kenya. People who are usually treated at worst as data points or risk scores and at best as ‘beneficiaries’ of innovation gathered as equals to collectively reflect on how technology is reshaping migration, borders, and power.
The occasion was the first in-person gathering of the Migration and Technology Monitor (MTM) Fellowship, a global initiative that supports people with lived experiences of migration and occupation to investigate, document, and challenge the technologies governing their lives.
Fellows travelled to Nairobi from across Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. Some arrived after long, costly visa processes. Others were prevented from coming at the last minute, a reminder that borders do not pause even for those invited to discuss them.
