diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index 2fc4616..a0f3bfd 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -1379,7 +1379,7 @@ $(timestamp_h): $(srctree)/Makefile FORCE
 	$(call filechk,timestamp.h)
 
 checkbinman: tools
-	@if ! ( echo 'import libfdt' | ( PYTHONPATH=tools python )); then \
+	@if ! ( echo 'import libfdt' | ( PYTHONPATH=tools $(PYTHON) )); then \
 		echo >&2; \
 		echo >&2 '*** binman needs the Python libfdt library.'; \
 		echo >&2 '*** Either install it on your system, or try:'; \
diff --git a/scripts/Makefile.spl b/scripts/Makefile.spl
index 3ba0007..dd8065d 100644
--- a/scripts/Makefile.spl
+++ b/scripts/Makefile.spl
@@ -369,7 +369,7 @@ ifneq ($(cmd_files),)
 endif
 
 checkdtoc: tools
-	@if ! ( echo 'import libfdt' | ( PYTHONPATH=tools python )); then \
+	@if ! ( echo 'import libfdt' | ( PYTHONPATH=tools $(PYTHON) )); then \
 		echo '*** dtoc needs the Python libfdt library. Either '; \
 		echo '*** install it on your system, or try:'; \
 		echo '***'; \
diff --git a/tools/Makefile b/tools/Makefile
index a1790eb..086c533 100644
--- a/tools/Makefile
+++ b/tools/Makefile
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ tools/_libfdt.so: $(LIBFDT_SRCS) $(LIBFDT_SWIG)
 		CPPFLAGS="$(_hostc_flags)" OBJDIR=tools \
 		SOURCES="$(LIBFDT_SRCS) tools/libfdt.i" \
 		SWIG_OPTS="-I$(srctree)/lib/libfdt -I$(srctree)/lib" \
-		$(libfdt_tree)/pylibfdt/setup.py --quiet build_ext \
+		$(PYTHON) $(libfdt_tree)/pylibfdt/setup.py build_ext \
 			--build-lib tools
 
 ifneq ($(CONFIG_MX23)$(CONFIG_MX28),)