The purpose of this paper is twofold. First, it highlights the importance of creating, capturing, documenting and disseminating knowledge within public organizations. Second, it presents the factors that influence its implementation within the context of public organizations. Using a dataset collected from Dubai government entities, the study assesses the clarity of the knowledge management (KM) concept in the sector, its ability to capture and store knowledge, and the reasons and the expected benefits from implementing KM programs. A set of recommendations are addressed to both policy makers and the heads of KM departments not only in Dubai, but for the UAE and the GCC countries. The study confirms that the current challenge facing public sector is not only knowledge development but also knowledge management.