This paper traces the institutions and processes that govern the use of public resources within the public sector in order to identify whether the broad goals of the public procurement policy are being achieved. Following this detailed review and selected case studies, the study contends that while the quest to use public procurement to advance economic development is a legitimate policy goal, government procurement in Kenya unequivocally fails to do so. And this failure is regular and consistent throughout most state departments, ministries and agencies, suggesting that the incentives for a clean, transparent and effective public procurement in Kenya will remain a long-term challenge in Kenya’s development path.