Ruth Kwalanda

About Us

Unlock your leadership potential.

About

About Aligned

At Align and Illuminate Africa, we believe that true transformation begins when you awaken to your divine presence, clarify your purpose, and unleash your God-given potential. Whether you are a leader, a seeker, or someone on a journey of meaning, this is your space to align deeply with who you are and what you’re here to do.

Our Core Pillars:
🔹 Presence – The fire in your spirit, your creative life force.
🔹 Purpose – Your reason for being. A moment, a mission, or a lifetime.
🔹 Potential – The fullness of your becoming—always evolving, always expanding. When these three align, the impossible becomes possible. You become a beacon of light—living and leading with divine impact.

About Ruth

Dr. Ruth Kwalanda is a passionate advocate for human potential, driven by faith and a curiosity for what could be. With over 15 years in human capacity development, she has empowered leaders and organizations across Africa to align with their divine purpose.

A former banker turned leadership coach, Ruth believes everyone is a leader called to influence their world. Through her writings and trainings, she inspires others to bridge the gap between what is and what could be, rooted in the love and wisdom of God.

I believe in human potential. I believe that every one of us—regardless of background or title—is called to live, lead, and influence with depth, clarity, and impact. From a young age, I’ve been curious about life’s deeper questions: What is? What could be? How do we bridge the gap? That curiosity has taken me on a profound journey of learning, leadership, and inner alignment. I’ve come to believe that the longing to be more—to live fully, love deeply, and lead well—is not just ambition; it is a divine imprint on the human soul. We were created for more. And the journey to become all we were made to be is the very essence of living. I believe in God. I’m a living testimony of His love, grace, and wisdom. I believe in Africa. I believe in her people. Though often burdened by systemic challenges and failed leadership, I am filled with hope. There is a rising generation that is ready to live and lead with purpose. I long to be part of that rising—to empower, equip, and illuminate.

Born into a large, dynamic family, I was shaped by a calm, graceful mother and a passionate, intense father. I earned the nickname Chelegat—after a fearless Kenyan activist—because I always questioned misalignment and stood for what I believed in. After university, I began my career in banking. Though promising, it left me feeling restless and misaligned. I quit. That decision launched a 15+ year journey in human capacity development, leadership training, and purpose-driven work. Over the years, I’ve worked with global NGOs, regional banks, corporations, and nonprofit leaders—designing transformative learning journeys rooted in values, identity, and leadership. Whether in boardrooms or online sessions, I’ve facilitated change that is authentic, courageous, and enduring.

Recent Professional Engagements

Recently, I worked with part of the global leadership team of an international charity organization that helps people survive, recover and rebuild their lives. My assignment was to facilitate team cohesion for a team that is physically scattered across the globe in diverse situations, diverse needs, languages and economies. I used the tools by Wiley learning solutions, The Everything disc assessment for the personality and priorities dimension and the 5Behaviours of cohesive teams model to deliver on this assignment.

During the Covid period, I was part of a consulting team that worked on culture transformation and organizational alignment for one of the regional banks in Eastern Africa. The bank had just gone through a merger. We had to implement nearly 80% of the work virtually. My role was to evaluate where the organization was culturally, where it desired to move to and design learning journeys for the teams at various levels of management to harness them towards this goal. I applied the Barrett’s model and used Barrett Values Centre analytics to assess the current culture and desired culture for the vision the bank had. Then using the results, I weaved together the learning journeys for the various teams to bring about alignment and execution through values.

While working as the Managing Partner at Ciar Africa, 2009-2019, I led a team that designed and implemented some trailblazing and innovative talent development training and certification programs for diverse organizations across Africa. In 2016, I received an international recognition for this work; the Africa HR achiever and leader award.