Tax Collectors Union — Member Recruitment Website

The situation

The union had a record but no public home.

The Tax Collectors Union began organizing Kenya Revenue Authority customs workers in 1998. Two formal registration applications were filed (2002 and 2009), both refused, and a 2008 High Court judgment confirmed that only a specific union could represent KRA staff. About 720 staff had signed during the 2003–04 drive.

None of that history was available online. Workers searching for the union could not find what it stood for, what it had achieved, or how to register interest without risk. The organization needed a website that could recruit members while being clear that TCU is not yet registered and collects no dues.

Our approach

A simple, self-contained marketing site with no complex setup, tooling or backend code. Every page works from a file or over plain web delivery, so hosting costs stay near zero and there are no extra services to manage.

The site is organized around the recruitment goal:

• Home — the core idea: "Alone you risk it. Together you negotiate." References the 720 staff who signed in 2003–04 and invites workers to add their interest.
• Join — an interest form with no fee, no pay deduction, and no employer disclosure. Workers confirm their email, pick update topics, and read the evidence before deciding.
• About — origins from Customs in 1975 through KRA in 1995, why a specific union is needed, and what TCU will not do (claim recognition before it exists, promise pay or case outcomes, request dues at this stage).
• Campaigns (Our record) — the five organizing phases from 1998 to 2011, each with dates, document references, and outcomes.
• Member support — what workers faced from 1998 onward (job security, fair discipline, collective strength), the legal route taken, stations covered across Kenya, and rights under freedom of association. General information only, with a clear note that TCU is not legal advice.
• Contact — a message form with a confidentiality notice: interest is logged, not shared with employers, and reported only in totals.

What we built

Simple website setup

Plain pages with links between them, self-hosted fonts, and optimized images. No tracking, tag managers, cookie notices, or extra services. The site can be opened directly in a browser or served with a single command.

Interest registration form

A private form for workers to register interest: name, email, station or department (optional), and topics of interest. The form is clear that this records interest — not membership, not a pay deduction, and no promise of case results.

Document archive

The five organizing phases explained from original typescripts, with document references workers can check: receipt 924151, union ref TU/R/332/2, High Court Misc. 1683/2004 (Justice Dulu, 22 Sep 2008), Gazette 2875, and Appeal No.2 of 2011.

Member support and rights

Pages explaining what support means (job security, fair discipline, collective strength), the legal route taken, stations covered across Kenya, and rights under freedom of association. General information only, with a note that TCU is not legal advice.

Clear status messages

Throughout the site, copy is open that TCU was refused registration twice and collects interest only. No claim of recognition, no dues requested, and no promise of pay rises or promotions.

Outcome

KRA customs workers now have a public home for the Tax Collectors Union: a place to learn why a specific union matters, register interest with no fee or deduction, read the documented record from 1998 to 2011, and learn their rights under freedom of association. The site supports the organization's goal of showing demand still exists — 720 signed in 2003–04; each new name proves it still exists.