[python] Installing mysql-python on Centos

I'm trying to get the MySQL-python lib installed on centos 5.5. I ran

sudo yum install MySQL-python

but then when I tried:

import MySQLdb

I get this error:

Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<stdin>", line 1, in ?
  File "MySQLdb/__init__.py", line 22, in ?
    raise ImportError("this is MySQLdb version %s, but _mysql is version %r" %
ImportError: this is MySQLdb version (1, 2, 3, 'final', 0), \ # added linebreak
but _mysql is version (1, 2, 1, 'final', 1)

any clues on how to fix this?

I have Python 2.7.5, MySQL 5.6 and CentOS 7.1.1503.

For me it worked with the following command:

# pip install mysql-python

Note pre-requisites here:

Install Python pip:

# rpm -iUvh http://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/7/x86_64/e/epel-release-7-5.noarch.rpm

# yum -y update
Reboot the machine (if kernel is also updated)

# yum -y install python-pip

Install Python devel packages:

# yum install python-devel

Install MySQL devel packages:

# yum install mysql-devel

For centos7 I required: sudo yum install mysql-devel gcc python-pip python-devel sudo pip install mysql-python

So, gcc and mysql-devel (rather than mysql) were important

mysql-python NOT support Python3, you may need:

sudo pip3 install mysqlclient

Also, check this post for more alternatives.

Step 1 - Install package

# yum install MySQL-python
Loaded plugins: auto-update-debuginfo, langpacks, presto, refresh-packagekit
Setting up Install Process
Resolving Dependencies
--> Running transaction check
---> Package MySQL-python.i686 0:1.2.3-3.fc15 will be installed
--> Finished Dependency Resolution

Dependencies Resolved

================================================================================
 Package              Arch         Version                 Repository      Size
================================================================================
Installing:
 MySQL-python         i686         1.2.3-3.fc15            fedora          78 k

Transaction Summary
================================================================================
Install       1 Package(s)

Total download size: 78 k
Installed size: 220 k
Is this ok [y/N]: y
Downloading Packages:
Setting up and reading Presto delta metadata
Processing delta metadata
Package(s) data still to download: 78 k
MySQL-python-1.2.3-3.fc15.i686.rpm                       |  78 kB     00:00     
Running rpm_check_debug
Running Transaction Test
Transaction Test Succeeded
Running Transaction
  Installing : MySQL-python-1.2.3-3.fc15.i686                               1/1 

Installed:
  MySQL-python.i686 0:1.2.3-3.fc15                                              

Complete!

Step 2 - Test working

import MySQLdb
db = MySQLdb.connect("localhost","myusername","mypassword","mydb" )
cursor = db.cursor()
cursor.execute("SELECT VERSION()")
data = cursor.fetchone()    
print "Database version : %s " % data    
db.close()

Ouput:

Database version : 5.5.20